Hawkins for Auditor

(Hudson, NY) Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for Governor, said that Cuomo's recent description of schools as the "last public monopoly" is just the latest episode in his ongoing attacks on public education and teachers. 

"Andrew Cuomo is turning New York's schools into the Hunger Games. Andrew Cuomo pushes a game of competitive grants, charter schools, and high-stakes testing. This type of competition leaves a lot of losers. If the Governor wants to break a monopoly, he should break Pearson's monopoly on testing." 

"What is Cuomo going to attack after he breaks the schools and teachers? Break up the police and fire departments? Have competing companies to deliver drinking water?" asked Hawkins. 

Hawkins noted that under Cuomo funding for education has fallen to the lowest percentage of the state budget in 65 years, with a $9 billion cumulative shortfall from what the courts have ordered. He has also enacted tax caps to undermine the ability of local schools districts to make up for the state's funding shortfall.

Cuomo has also led a drive to privatize the schools, favoring charter schools and promoting high stakes testing, both of which increase profits for his campaign contributors. Last week he vowed to challenge public school teachers by supporting stricter teacher evaluations and competition from charter schools. 

"A governor who treats public education as some corporate entity, who shows no support for public education doesn't deserve a second term. The remarks made clear that Cuomo is an enemy of our public education system. And that he wants to break it," added Hawkins.

Hawkins said that Cuomo's recent statement was part of a pattern of increasingly erratic behavior by Cuomo in the closing days of the campaign, starting with his mishandling of the Ebola epidemic. Cuomo earlier today dismissed the Moreland Commission scandal as "political baloney."

"One has to wonder why a party like the WFP wants you to vote for a candidate that attacks workers and education, opposes making the rich pay their fair share of taxes, waffles on fracking, does photo ops in war zones during his campaign, and doesn't support universal single payer health care," commented Hawkins. 

Hawkins has been endorsed by a wide range of teachers union and educators, include Diane Ravitch; Nassau County's East Williston Teachers' Association; northern Westchester County's Lakeland Federation of Teachers; Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association, Valley Central Teachers Association, Buffalo Teachers Federation, The Plainview-Old Bethpage Congress of Teachers.; New York Badass Teacher Association, United Opt Out Independent Community of Educators, Independent Commission on Public Education (ICOPE), and Coalition for Public Education.