Governor Cuomo has proposed to eliminate funding for 4201 Schools (for deaf/blind/physically challenged students) for the 2011-12 school year. As a result, Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf students, and those from 10 other 4201 schools, are in jeopardy! A child who is deaf, blind or physically challenged did not cause the state’s $10 billion deficit. It is wrong to abandon the state’s more than 100-year commitment to these special schools through which these students become productive citizens. It is also wrong to shift these costs to the more than 45 school districts, which send students to Mill Neck Manor!
Please help by letting your readers know about the issue and the ways they can oppose these drastic cuts. Readers can send letters/emails to Governor Cuomo, as well as their State Senators/Assembly people. For sample letters and contact info, visit www.millneck.org and click on the red “Budget Crisis” box. A petition on the issue is also available at http://www. thepetitionsite.com/1/save-ny-4201-school-funding/. Sign it today!
Thank you on behalf of our students and their families.
Dr. Mark R. Prowatzke
Executive Director
Mill Neck Family of Organizations
