"There's a reason why the teachers' union has spent $60 million in Albany over the past five years: to get politicians like Andrea Stewart-Cousins to put their interests over the hundreds of thousands of kids victimized by a failing system. In Yonkers, 4 out of 5 students cannot read or do math on grade level -- they need a Senator, too. Governor Cuomo's plan will give our best teachers $20,000 bonuses, will cover tuition to get the best and brightest into our classrooms, and will increase funding for all children. Governor Cuomo is fighting for kids; Senator Stewart-Cousins should too."

-- Tenicka Boyd, public school parent and StudentsFirstNY Director of Organizing

"The moral crisis in New York education is that a quarter million students are trapped in persistently failing schools. New York State spends the most per student on education in the country and only gets mediocre results. Rather than just throwing money at the problem, we need fundamental reforms that improve the quality of school choices and classroom instruction."

-- Jenny Sedlis, StudentsFirstNY Executive Director