September 1, 2010

Angel Taveras calls on Steven Costantino to Stand Up for Children and Reconvene House Finance Committee to plug Budget Deficit

Providence Democratic Mayoral candidate Angel Taveras issued the following statement today on Governor Carcieri's announcement that he would use $32.9 million of federal education funding to close the budget deficit created by Finance Chairman Steven Costantino.

"Governor Don Carcieri is right that the General Assembly passed a budget with a one hundred and seven million dollar ($107,000,000) hole.  But he is wrong to use $32.9 million in targeted education funding to close the budget deficit left by the sponsor of the budget: Finance Chairman Steven Costantino.  The state should not bailout Chairman Costantino's bad budget decisions with money intended for our children."  

"These education funds were intended to bring millions to Providence schools - saving teacher jobs and protecting resources for our children, such as after-school programs, gifted and talented programs and smaller class sizes.  Instead, this funding is now just another one-time budget fix for a General Assembly without the courage to really balance our budget." 

"I join Commissioner Deborah Gist and our Congressional Delegation in protesting this maneuver and urging that the money go to its intended recipient: our children.  The General Assembly has already slashed funding for our children: this year’s State aid to education includes a cut from last year.  In addition, the new funding formula is not slated to begin until next year and will take many years to phase in.  The current funding for our schools is inadequate and this money should be used to restore those cuts."

"Chairman Costantino likes to tout his budgeting credentials but he always relies on quick fixes, one-time deals and Federal money. Once again, the state is preparing to shore up another Costantino budget gap with federal money that should be going to Providence children.  And, once again, Chariman Costantino's budget has another projected shortfall: as large as $320 million next year.  This sleight of hand budgeting approach is not good for the State and is certainly not something the City of Providence can afford."

"I call on Finance Chairman Costantino to reconvene the House Finance Committee to stop Governor Carcieri and to ensure that this vital education funding reaches our children." 

"In these tough budget times, we need political leaders who will stand with our children and the taxpayers and not pass the buck onto the next generation"

"As Mayor, I will do just that.  I will bring people together and make the tough decisions to ensure that our City is on strong financial footing.  And I will not shrink from my responsibility in ensuring that every child has the opportunity for a first-rate education in our school system.  This means that education funding should actually go to our schools: increasing learning time, retaining and recruiting high quality teachers, reducing class size, and strengthening partnerships with our arts, health, and technology sectors."