NEW YORK- On January 14th, State Senator and Deputy Majority Leader Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) joined more than 800 Bronx Catholic School parents and elected officials in urging Governor Paterson to reimburse independent and religious schools approximately 243-million dollars.

The rally, held at Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx, also focused on promoting legislation (S5832) sponsored by Klein, that would mandate reimbursement for religious and independent schools for the cost of the MTA payroll tax totaling $6 million annually.

“Religious and Independent schools are dedicated to providing a quality education for a great number of New York City students,” said Klein. “Parents already pay a costly amount for their children to attend these schools and they shouldn’t be forced to shell out even more money for the MTA payroll tax. Public schools receive reimbursements for this tax and I believe religious and independent schools should be entitled to the same benefit.”

S5832 has been introduced in the Senate and Assembly.