State and City budgets for education have been slashed across the board, which means less money for our local elementary school, P.S. 8, the Robert Fulton School. Whether you have a child in P.S. 8, or one who may go there, or not, this school is a tremendously valuable asset to Brooklyn Heights as a whole. You can read the PTA’s appeal and, if you wish, follow the link to donate, after the jump.
As you are probably already aware from recent news coverage, the Governor and Mayor have recently announced more extreme budget cuts that will threaten our extraordinarily talented teaching staff and the educational experience they have created in our wonderful school. We began this year with a substantially smaller budget than last year, and while so far we have weathered this historic economic downturn and the severe budget cuts it has brought, this next round threatens to directly impact our children’s daily experience through staff and enrichment reductions. We all want our children’s valuable experience at PS 8 to continue unchanged regardless of the political and economic climate. We therefore must ask that you donate as much as you can during these difficult times. So far the shortfall is $1,000 per child, and with new cuts the number will continue to rise.
In order to keep our teaching staff at current levels, Principal Phillips needs the PTA to fund enrichment programs, staff development, school supplies, capital improvements, and teachers’ aides. And we need to have the money in place to prevent lapses in our excellent programming. But because of the across the board budget cuts this year we are falling far short in our ability to provide the funding needed to maintain continuity.
We know not everyone in our community has this much to contribute. Please give what you can and if you can do more to help us reach our goal, please do. Your full support is critical to keep PS 8 strong. While the PTA employs many forms of fund raising, the key to our success is the active monetary contributions of parents, grandparents and the community. If you would like more information, please contact Lisa at lisakopel@gmail.com or Wendy at winifreud@aol.com.
If you wish to donate, you may do so by going here.
