Hand-delivered

BY KATE McNEIL

A class of PS 24 first-graders boarded a yellow school bus bound for City Hall last week. Sure, a tour of the historic building was on tap. But parents had other plans for their tots.

Also on the bus was a box of approximately 500 letters, signed by teachers, parents and their children, to Mayor Bloomberg, pleading for him to reconsider the enormous budget cuts proposed for city schools. Next year, PS 24 will have to do without $258,000. As a result, the school will not be able to staff a librarian.

"So many families are concerned about these cuts," said Cliff Stanton, the parent who organized the June 18 trip. "We wanted to bring that concern down here to the mayor today."

Upon arrival, the first-graders unraveled two posters declaring, "Please Mr. Mayor, Save Our School" and "We are PS 24."

City Councilman Oliver Koppell greeted the bright-faced children outside and helped them with the letter delivery.

"It is really unfair to penalize highperforming schools like ours," said Cori Worchel, a parent recently elected co-president of the parents association at PS 24. "We struggle just like all schools to keep our standards and test scores high and these cuts will make it very tough for us to continue to remain the great school we are now."

"I love PS 24 just the way it is," said first-grader Eytan Stanton. "I do not want us to have less of anything."

Their hope is that these letters and their visit will persuade the mayor to rethink this heavy blow to their school, and restore the funds to PS 24 when the final budget is released.

After making their protest clear, the children were taken on a tour of City Hall where they saw George Washington's desk in the Governor's Room.