The community at Leonard Flynn, teachers, parents, families and neighbors, are protesting the proposed $54,000 budget cuts to our school. These cuts will eliminate vital resources and undermine the success of the children at our school. As superintendent, Richard Carranza has made a public commitment to provide resources to the students in the Superintendent Zone in order to close the achievement gap. Flynn's population is high in need, with a majority of children being English language learners, African-American, or of low socio-economic status. In order to continue moving forward, our children need consistency and commitment, not cutbacks and instability.

With efforts on the part of parents, staff and teachers, Flynn students have been steadily improving over the past two years. These cuts threaten that success. Both our principal and IRF are new to their roles this year. This budget cut leaves them little flexibility and few resources with which to strengthen the school. We urge you to reconsider these cuts and reinstate Flynn's 2012-2013 budget to its full amount. No cutback for our children!