PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 8 , 2006

BTF BLASTS RUMORS OF RAISING CHARTER SCHOOL
GAP IN EXCHANGE FOR RAISES AND A RETIREMENT INCENTIVE

         BUFFALO, NEW YORK (Friday, December 8, 2006) – Buffalo Teachers Federation President, Philip Rumore, today publicized a study done by Buffalo Public Schools COO/CFO, Gary Crosby, that “clearly shows the devastating financial impact of charter schools on local school districts”.

The study calculates the cost to a school district, in this case Buffalo, if all charter school students were to return. That cost, $18,662,105 (for Buffalo) is then subtracted from the total amount sent by the Buffalo Public Schools to charter schools (for Buffalo $51,510,800).  What remains (for Buffalo $32,848,695) is the funding that cannot be compensated for by the district and that would be available to Buffalo District students.

Rumore also dealt harshly with the repots that legislators were going to tie pay raises and an early retirement incentive to raising the cap on charter schools – “While we hope it is not true, we continue to hear that the raising of the cap on charter schools will be tied to raising legislators’ salaries and an early retirement incentive for government employees.  This would be exchanging benefits for adults at the expense of children.  We are confident you won’t let this happen”.