Thousands rally against New York education cuts
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Demonstrators rally against the proposed education cuts Saturday in Albany, New York.
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ALBANY, New York (AP) -- Thousands of teachers, administrators, parents, students and union leaders descended on the state capital Saturday to protest Gov. George Pataki's proposed education funding cuts.
"We're here to tell the governor not to balance the budget on the backs of children," said Peter Giannone, 52, a high school business teacher.
Giannone, who has been a teacher for 31 years, said he traveled from his Rocky Point home on Long Island to Albany because, as an economics expert, he knows there are better fiscal choices for the state.
Organizers said the three-hour demonstration drew about 40,000 people, although state police said the crowd totaled between 12,000 to 15,000.
Hoping to overcome an estimated $11.5 billion deficit without raising taxes, Pataki has proposed cutting school aid by $1.24 billion, leaving about $13.3 billion for public schools.
Under pressure from teachers unions and school boards, the state Legislature this week restored hundreds of millions of dollars to education funding that would be cut under Pataki's budget plan.
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