The Peru Gazette

Dear Editor

 I am writing to urge the elected officials in the Northern New York area to support the Museum Education Act (MEA) introduced by Senator Betty Little (Senate Bill 5001) and Assemblymember Mathew Titone (Assembly Bill 8199).

 New York State has more museums, historical societies, zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums than any other state, many of which are among the leading art, history, science, and natural history institutions in the world.  As many as 60 million visitors, including over 6 million school children, visit New York’s museums and institutions each year, the economic impact of which is well into the billions of dollars statewide.  However, many of these major tourist and educational destinations are struggling financially to keep their doors open and provide the services students and adult learners need.  Since 2008, school districts statewide have been forced to cut their budgets and many have unfortunately cut transportation budgets once used to transport students to their local and regional museums and institutions.  This unfortunate reality has effectively cut-off many of New York’s students from learning field trips and, in turn, harmed the museums and institutions they once visited.  The MEA will help end this practice and get our students and adult learners back to the museums and institutions eager to serve them, all at no cost to local school districts.  And in doing so, it will strengthen the educational competitiveness of New York’s students and adult learners while strengthening the economy in the process.

 The MEA is fully supported by the New York State Board of Regents and the State Education Department, as well as the Museum Association of New York (MANY).  The bill would provide funding for museums in the form of competitive grants for curriculum-based educational programming, exhibits, staffing, and field trips.

 I urge your readers to contact their local Senator and Assemblymember to urge their full support for Senate Bill 5001/Assembly Bill 8199.  By doing so, they are supporting the education of New Yorkers and the museums that serve them.

 Sincerely,

 Carol Rock, SecretaryBabbie Rural & Farm Learning Museum