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Video: Town Hall Held In Opposition To Teacher Layoffs

Councilman Halloran and UFT Officials Meet with Teachers, Discuss DOE Cuts

In today's uncertain world, one thing is for sure — a great deal of New Yorkers do not want teacher layoffs.

"We need to make sure that Mayor Bloomberg hears loud and clear where we all stand on this issue," said Councilman Dan Halloran, R-Whitestone,  addressing an auditorium filled with concerned teachers during a town hall meeting held Friday afternoon at P.S. 203 in Bayside.

The rally was the last of five town hall meetings held by local politicians and the United Federation of Teachers, which opposes Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to layoff 6,000 public school teachers.

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"Write letters, send e-mails and call the Mayor's office to let them know that you support your local council members who oppose teacher layoffs," Halloran said, pleading with northeast Queens residents to get involved.

In order to sow up an estimated $270 million budget gap in the Department of Education, the mayor announced he will layoff thousands of teachers, a move that union officials feel is unnecessary.

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So far, this plan has met with staunch criticism. 

"We need to let the people know that these layoffs are completely avoidable," said District 26 Union representative Mary Vaccaro, who announced the UFT will also host a march across the Brooklyn Bridge on June 14.

And so it seems that while the first round of protests over the city's plan to layoff teachers has drawn to a close, the fight is far from over.  

"It's critical to make as much noise as possible over this issue," Vaccaro said. "Teacher layoff are not the answer and we need the entire community's support."

Check back with Douglaston Patch for more coverage on this issue.

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