Robert Jackson (New York politician)
| Robert Jackson | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New York City Council from 7th District | |
|
In office January 1, 2002 – December 31, 2013 |
|
| Preceded by | Stanley Michels |
| Succeeded by | Mark D. Levine |
| Personal details | |
| Born | New York City, New York, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | New York City, New York, USA |
| Alma mater | SUNY New Paltz |
Robert Jackson is a former member of the New York City Council, having represented the 7th District in Manhattan from 2002 through 2013. Jackson is running for New York State Senate in northern Manhattan for the 2018 election.
Robert Jackson graduated from the State University of New York at New Paltz in 1975. In the early 1990s Jackson was employed by the Public Employees Federation, a labor union.
Robert Jackson is a Muslim, and was the only Muslim City Council member during his term.
In 1992, Robert Jackson was serving as the elected president of Community School Board 6. Frustrated by the consistent under-funding of New York City public schools, he decided to sue the state. Jackson sought assistance from the school board's attorney, Michael A. Rebell; they joined forces to found the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, and in 1993 filed suit in CFE v. State of New York. The lawsuit argued that the State of New York's method of allocating funds for public education did not provide adequately for children in New York City, and therefore violated the New York State Constitution and the federal Civil Rights Act.
On June 26, 2003, the New York State Court of Appeals (the state's highest court) ruled in favor of plaintiffs, and gave the State until July 30, 2004 to implement changes. However, lawmakers could not agree on a formula. The Court of Appeals appointed a special panel to address the problem, and in 2005, the panel proposed that NY City schools receive an extra $5.6 billion dollars per year. Justice Leland Degrasse accepted that solution, and in 2007, the Legislature established the Foundation Aid Formula to distribute the requisite funds, phased in over a period of four years. Because of the subsequent fiscal crisis, funding was frozen during 2009-2012. Full funding has yet to be restored, a situation that Robert Jackson has protested both in Albany and New York City./
...
Wikipedia