More than 1,000 teachers and parents packed the auditorium at Sachem East High School in Farmingville. Their message to the governor: Don't cut Long Island's school aid.
Dan Perez brought his children to the rally, several school districts away. His family had plenty of company there.
"This is just one place," Perez said, of Thursday's rally. "If it happens all over the state they'll hear our message."
And that's the plan. Teachers are planning to join labor organizers at a rally in Albany on March 9.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he doesn't want to impact schools, but the state's nearly $10 billion deficit requires tough measures.
But Ampara Sadler, a grandmother from Central Islip, didn't like what she called the governor's implication: that schools would have to compete for Albany's money.
"We are not rich," she told the cheering crowd. "This is not a game show."
Later, Sadler told NBC New York she's worried about her granddaughter.
"Is she gonna have a good education? Or even an education?" she asked.
