In a pulpit push for his pre-K plan, Mayor de Blasio asked churchgoers Sunday to help lawmakers see the light on his tax-the-rich funding plan.
“This is a matter of equality,” de Blasio said in Spanish to members of the largely Hispanic congregation at Heavenly Visions Church on Jerome Avenue in The Bronx. “We don’t want to punish the success of those who earn more. We want them to help others to also reach success.”
De Blasio urged parishioners to talk to their representatives in Albany and ask them to get on board with plan to tax high-income New Yorkers extra to pay for universal pre-K.
The mayor told the crowd that there are 20,000 kids currently enrolled in pre-kindergarten.
“If Albany will support me, by September, it will be more than 50,000,” de Blasio said.
“I believe nothing is more foundational than pre-K. It’s the beginning of fixing our schools.”
De Blasio’s plan needs approval from the state Legislature. But Gov. Cuomo is against the tax and prefers a plan that would let the state foot the bill.
De Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, also hit the campaign trail, stumping for the mayor’s plan at the Greater Allen AME Cathedral in Queens, which is run by the Rev. Floyd Flake, a former New York congressman.
She plans to lobby in Albany this week.