Dear Governor Spitzer,

We write to you as and on behalf of the students, parents, families, educators and taxpayers of Albany. We applaud your commitment to changing education funding formulas to help ensure that every child in New York State receives a high quality education. However, the "charter school transition aid" provided in your proposed budget does not even begin to adequately compensate the City School District of Albany for the drastic and unique impact charter schools are having on our students, our District schools, and our community.

We have been impacted by the unfair charter school funding process more than any other district in New York State. Well over $50 million has been taken from our District schools, for example, for one of the most poorly performing charter schools in New York State, a school that underperforms all of our District schools. We - our children - deserve, and need, far more than the aid provided in your proposed budget to prevent us from having to cut more programs and services for Albany's children, the overwhelming majority of whom attend our District's schools. Additional funds - far more than the 2.5 million in "transition" aid - are required for our public schools to stay on track with all the improvements we are making to our facilities and our programs.