Over the last two years,
and I other members of my staff
have traveled to other cities
to find models and examples
of the kind of growth
we would like to see in Buffalo.
We have seen downtown development
that towers over the cityscape
and lends an air
of both credibility and legitimacy
to a city's claim to growth and prosperity.
Such towers are impressive parts
of a city's skeleton,
of its commercial infrastructure.
But after one gets by the physical aspect of a city,
the discussion invariably gets around
to it's heart and soul
when we start talking about schools.
And just when you think
you might despair of ever realizing
the kind of progress and prosperity
we want and our children deserve,
you are left with the distinct impression
and the firm conviction that there is hope
for Buffalo.
There is hope for our city
because there is hope for our children
and that hopes springs from the fountain of the future --
from the educational excellence
that we often overlook
but other cities recognize instantly.
Very progressive cities
are all struggling with the challenges
of urban public education ...
cities like Dallas and Cleveland and
Huntington, Long Island.
These communities ...
the examples of urban growth & development ...
have surrendered or are about to surrender
their schools to the control
of state education departments.
In the wake of the court order
ending the federal desegregation case in Buffalo,
we should remember today
some of the enormous gains that were made
in Buffalo under that order.
The desegregation case gave birth
to our magnet school program
which is a national model.
Our former superintendent,
the late Eugene Reville,
was selected by then Governor Bill Clinton
to guide a resurgence of education
in the state of Arkansas.
When other cities
were being torn apart
by court ordered busing,
Buffalo held together.
We gave each a chance.
We recognized our differences
but relied on our similarities
to grow stronger as people and
better as a city.
Our teachers dedicated themselves
to excellence and our schools
made progress.
We recognized a debt to our future
in the education of our children
and most of us stepped forward
to honor that debt.
Judge Curtin sat as a fair and reasonable referee
for education in Buffalo and
we were able to lay a sound, solid foundation
upon which to build a brighter future for our city
by extending quality education
to our children.
And while we recognize
our past as a stepping stone
on the way to our future,
we should also be happy
that future of education in Buffalo
now truly belongs to those elected
to guide it ... shape it ... and lead it
into the 21st Century.
All over America,
cities have been freed from desegregation orders
and all over America,
school boards, educators, mayors, and council members
have applauded the settling
of those cases.
It is time for all who care about quality education ...
parents ... teachers ... administrators
and elected officials ...
to seize this moment and dedicate ourselves
to a cooperative effort to make Buffalo
become all it can be
by allowing our children
to be the best they can be.
From my first day as mayor,
when I walked into the Sedita School
I have pledged my unequivocal support for
and commitment to
quality education in Buffalo.
Those who would suggest
that the end of federal court involvement
in the management of our schools
will mean an end of that commitment
simply aren't paying attention.
No matter how difficult our financial position ...
no matter how dire the straits of our budget ...
no matter what other departments were cut ...
city schools have never lost a single cent
of city side contribution to our schools.
To the contrary,
at a time when every other city department
has experienced the pain of a shrinking tax base,
I increased operating assistance
to our schools by ten per cent this year.
Ten per cent ...
My administration
has done a lot of things I am very proud of
but nothing makes more prouder
than to stand before you and
recite that undeniable statistic.
To fund that increase,
it is inevitable that I ask
for a modest increase in taxes.
But education is an investment --
in the quality of life in Buffalo today
and in the future of our children tomorrow.
And I am willing to take the political heat
to enact such an increase.
Some have questioned the depth
of my commitment in the wake of ruling of unitary status.
But I am confident that my actions ...
my two year record
of constant cooperation with the schools ...
speak louder than the words of our doubters.
My commitment to quality education is real ...
it is continuing ... and
it is constant.
But my commitment
is not the only thing that will translate
into quality opportunities for our kids.
We are here to both
recognize and celebrate the commitment
of our corporate community
in reaching out the hand of support and friendship
to our schools.
Last year when I stood before you,
we had 55 corporate sponsors for Buffalo schools.
Today,
we can boast of 66 sponsors
and a 20% growth factor
in the partnerships we must forge
if we are to succeed.
We are proud to recognize
the outstanding efforts of those partners
whose commitment stands out
as exemplary to the kind of cooperation
we have made the benchmark
of the Masiello Administration.
We congratulate Citibank ...
this year's Gold Medal Winner.
We celebrate National Fuel ...
our Silver Medalist.
We salute EDS ...
the Bronze Medal winner this year.
And we fete Junior Achievement ..
which earned the Distinguished Service Award.
But truly,
we embrace every one of the 66
concerned, committed, caring sponsors
who stepped forward when a city and its schools
were in greatest need.
At the same time,
we also offer our thanks to all who
made our first
"Buffalo Youth Works ... Employ the Future"
such a stunning success.
In our first year of operation,
we were able to place over 200 Buffalo students
in meaningful employment
with local concerns.
The great African-American writer & thinker
W.E.B. DuBois [do-boys]
once characterized education and work
as the most important aspects
of human dignity.
"Education and Work" he said
"are the levers to uplift a people.
"Work alone will not do it
unless inspired by the right ideals
and guided by intelligence.
"Education must not simply teach work.
"It must teach life."
That's good for you as employers.
That's good for you as students.
And that's great for Buffalo.
One of the true success stories in our schools,
is the growth of the community school program.
These community schools are a beacon
in communities desperate for community pride.
They improve educational performance.
And they attract new investment and interest
in making the schools even better.
Last year,
we funded three new community schools
at 77, 44, and 57.
We touched the lives of 500 underserved kids.
We brought new programs ...
new equipment ...
new services for kids and for parents.
We opened the schools beyond school hours
three days a week.
We taught computers and arts and crafts.
And we taught about domestic violence and
conflict resolution.
We established Family Support Centers
to counsel and treat parents and kids.
Our friends at Fisher-Price operated
a summer camp program at School 57.
The Variety Corp - Kate Masiello
"All Star Schools" Program
provides $2000 grants to four schools each year
to foster innovation and excellence.
The Nestle Corporation
and Rich Products partnered their support
for School 77.
Sisters Hospital opened a Health Clinic
at School 44.
Millard Fillmore Hospital
did the same at the Badillo School.
This week,
Bob and Mindy Rich sponsored an assembly
for the K through Grade 2 kids
to address self-esteem, responsibility,
and goal setting.
The red ribbon you see in the room this afternoon
bears the red ribbon pledges of the kids at 77
to be drug free.
What can't we do for our kids
with that kind of involvement ?...
with that kind of commitment ?...
with that kind of partnership?
I stand before you today to tell you
that my administration will fund two more
community schools next year
deriving money from the
Federal Enterprise Fund.
I would also like to salute
our point person on the community schools program ...
Ms. Amy Prentice ...
and our newest state regent, Bob Bennett,
who has been such a pioneer
to bring more services to Buffalo families
through the vehicle of our schools.
When I was a kid growing up in Buffalo,
there was a radio station WBNY
which carried something every night
that I thought was pretty hokey at the time
but have since come to recognize as great advice.
Every night,
the station carried a brief essay urging
Buffalonians to be builders.
When I was young,
I thought they wanted everyone
to be an ironworker.
Today ...
we celebrate the essence of that long ago message.
In building education,
we build lives ...
in building lives,
we build our future ...
in building that future,
we see instill hope and confidence and energy
in our city.
When school opened this year,
we were all instilled with the excitement
of the opening of the new
Makowski Early Childhood Center.
Every school year
should begin with that kind of excitement and enthusiasm.
That's why Comptroller Joel Giambra and I
made an $80 million capital construction fund
and essential part of our offer
to the desegregation plaintiffs.
With the cooperation of the School Board,
we can begin planning tomorrow
to finalize details for new construction
and much needed renovations.
We are looking at a school a year
for 4 years but with some help
from our state legislative delegation
and a few alterations in state laws,
we could accelerate that pace.
I am committed to do so.
It's World Series time
and like every kid who ever held a bat in his hands,
I dreamed of playing in a World Series.
And I dreamed about experiencing
the feeling you get when connect with a pitch
and feel the impact of a solid hit.
You know --
that feeling you get when you
really connect?
Well,
I don't need to play for Cleveland or Atlanta
to experience that feeling these days.
All I need do is think
of the hone run we've hit
with the Mayor's Impact Team.
"Taking Back Buffalo --
one block at a time "
is the Impact Team's battle cry
and the pride of people who love their city
is their secret weapon.
The Impact Team concept
was born of a desire to do something externally
around our schools
to enhance what our dedicated teachers
were doing internally
in those same schools.
We've torn down derelict buildings ...
helped build a playground ...
cleaned up vacant lots around 25 schools
hauling away some 225 tons of trash and debris...
and, more importantly,
letting our kids and their parents and their teachers
know that the whole city cares about them.
We've been so successful with this program
that Bill Buyers and his team
have been written up in national publications
and are being considered for
an Innovation Award by Harvard University.
So ... as you can see ...
we have made or pledge ...
honored our commitment ... and
devoted money, innovation, and energy
to the cause of quality education.
That is not to say
that we can rest on those laurels.
The end of desegregation
gives us opportunity to direct our own destiny
but it also gives responsibility
to make things happen
for our kids and the schools that nurture them.
The task ahead of us is not easy;
nor is our vision for educational excellence
shared by all.
In Washington this year,
the House of Representatives
added SEVEN BILLION DOLLARS
to the Defense Department budget
at the same time it chopped funds
for Head Start, Title I and Goals 2000 programs.
Both the Congress and the President
are committing funds for a new submarine
that will cost $2.4 billion each.
I can preach ...
I can posture ... and
I can plead ...
but mine is a single voice.
Our mission is not a solo journey
and our chorus of voices needs to be heard
in Washington and Albany and
wherever people are cared for.
Much of the reason
for our nation's status as a debtor nation
can be traced back to the cost
of prosecuting the Cold War.
We have borrowed billions and
mortgaged much of our future for war.
What have we borrowed for education?
The give and take between the Board of Education
and the Mayor's office is well-publicized.
But the simple fact of the matter
is that neither the Board nor the Mayor
has the kind of resources
that are going to be needed
to solve the problems
facing public education in Buffalo
next year.
Estimates of the budget deficit
facing the Board range
from $25 to $50 million.
The Desegregation Ruling puts the ball
squarely in our court
but the city's financial problems
have taken the air out of the ball.
It will be critical
to impress the federal, state, and yes,
county governments
with the critical need to become partners --
just as parents ... teachers ...
business and government
have become partners --
to keep quality in Buffalo schools.
Together,
we have come together as a community
to recognize the vital role of education
in building a better Buffalo.
Now it is time we came together
to demand that our children be placed on a par
with Stealth bombers ...
that our schools be deemed as worthy of funding
as nuclear submarines ...
In trying to understand
the prevailing attitudes in Washington
these days,
I am often reminded of a bumper sticker
we used to see a lot of back in the Sixties.
It asked a question that deserves an answer
from those who think Defense is a higher
priority than Education.
The bumper stick asked:
"What if the schools had all the money they needed
and the Air Force had to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber?"
--
Today is a day
to mark the beginning of a new era
of cooperation in our commitment to quality education.
In the old days,
the lines of communication were mostly one dimensional --
too much talking and too little listening.
I am proposing that today
we all make a commitment --
the Mayor ... the School Board ...
the Common Council and the BTF --
to enter into immediate and on-going dialogue
to arrive at solutions the major funding problem
facing the schools next year.
Unlike the approach
taken by other mayors in other cities,
I do not see confrontation
as a viable solution to our problems.
Our future, our growth and our prosperity
depend on our willingness and ability to work together.
The problems of funding education in Buffalo
are rooted in the same problems
facing Buffalo itself --
they are structural problems
that will demand the best efforts
of everyone involved with education
to solve.
I am very encouraged by the response
of all parties to my call for an
Educational Summit
and by the agreement of the School Board
that dialogue must begin now
to shape a realistic, workable spending plan
that addresses both budget stresses
and a commitment to quality.
I applaud the expressed intentions
of Majority Leader James Pitts
to impanel a full Council committee on education
in order to provide oversight & analysis
of School Board requests.
We have made much progress.
We have accomplished much good.
We have brought our schools to
plateaus unattainable in cities
thought to be more progressive than Buffalo.
It is time we embraced the simple philosophy
spoken by the late Lyndon Johnson
almost 35 years ago to the day
when he reminded us:
"Education is not a problem.
"Education is an opportunity."
Let us seize the opportunity
presented by the end of the desegregation case
to take control of our future ...
to shape our own destiny ...
and to mold our vision of ourselves ...
by committing ourselves today ... tomorrow ... together
to educational quality in Buffalo.
Thank you very much for your support
and your dedication to this just cause.