It's that time of year again. Time for three men to enter a room and decide how to spend our tax dollars. If you don't like what comes next, tell it to the voting booth.

Governor Cuomo's $137 billion budget proposal includes no new taxes, and raises the hourly minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.75. The budget also calls for $35.9 million for more gun control measures, including new databases to keep track of weapon sales.

In addition, Cuomo's proposed budget increases education aid by $889 million, driving an average increase of more than $300 per student each year. And Cuomo wants to spend another $20 million to entice school districts to undertake extended school days or years. Legislative leaders will now negotiate and finalize the plan. What do you say?

Would you welcome longer school days or years to New York City? How would that help or hurt the education of public school students? Do you support raising the minimum wage to $8.75 an hour? In the aftermath of the massacre in Newtown, is more money needed to track the sale of guns?

Send your thoughts using the link above.

I believe that our school days are long enough. There is just so many hours that a child can sit and concentrate. If the day was longer, there would have to be longer recess which would negate the longer day for educational purposes. Mature adults get breaks during their work day which is the only way for concentration to be at its optimum. Children require the same - but the logistics aren't that easy - so therefore the length of the day is perfect for most of the children. The education they receive is delivered within the course of the regular school day. It is up to the child, his family, etc to support this with review and assistance at home.

The minimum wage should be $10 an hour but I definitely support a minimum wage of $8.75. It's still a paupers wage in New York City and the lower portions of New York State. On a 40 hour work week at minimum wage, how can a person put food on the table, pay rent, mortgage, etc? It's still impossible.

Guns are bought illegally and no amount of tracking, laws, etc is going to eliminate the ability of guns getting into the wrong hands.

Jessica
Arden Heights

Greaaaattt... more time for test prep, just like the charter chains do and just like all these testing companies and other education-related businesses want. They are all salivating at the prospect.

Does that mean they will now air condition my kids' schools?

Anni
Manhattan

John,

Minimum wage needs to be raised.

Jeanne
Brooklyn,ny

John,

I don't support any of these actions, any of these regulations. Cuomo is showing his true theft by government colors. He was a failure at HUD and he's a failure ax governor.

Joe
Port Richmond, Staten Island

Hi John,

Once again why are we being consulted about yet another proposal? We all know very well that all of his decisions are made behind closed doors. Where is all of this money coming from? Just mind boggling !!!!!!!!!

Thank you John,
maxxiee
mp

Cuomo appears to join the growing list of folks paying LIP SERVICE to the very important dialog about our public schools here in NY... But ALSO seems (like Bloomberg and Duncan!) to mostly speaking without true knowledge about what it takes for a grey educational system to be maintained and supported.

Under Bloomberg, Klein and other Educrats have so eroded the quality of education in our city for the vast majority of kids here. Testing and false data have usurped true educational meaning and many thousands of great teachers are leaving each year.

Longer school day? What use would this serve beyond a day care option for working families ? the curriculum and quality in classrooms must first be addressed. Only then might other scheduling options like a longer school day become meaningful and beneficial.

Rachel

1. EXTEND IN-SCHOOL TERM TO 6 DAYS A WEEK 2. PARENT ENROLLED IN REMEDIAL COURSE TO LEARN ENGLISH, MANDATORY 3. RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE TO 7.50 IS BETTER 4. GUN CONTROL REGISTRY MANDATORY. INCREASE DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL AWARD FOR TURNING IN WEAPONS TO $500-$1,000

ONE OF MY CHILDREN ATTENDED AND IS A GRADUATE OF THE PHILLIPS EXETER ACADEMY; SCHOOL WAS 6 DAYS AND DRESS CODE MANDATORY.

THE COST FOR THIS AGENDA, CAN BE CUT BACK, WITH THE ASSISTANCE FROM THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS. MEMBERS OF THIS ELITE GROUP, ARE TEACHERS, PHYSICIANS, CONTRACTORS AND THE FEE FOR THIS IS ZERO, AS THE CORPS IS PAID BY THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

CARMELITA................................HARLEM

Taxes raise up, my pay check reduce, and I am mad about it. I feel those in power don't care about the people, they care about themselves. Why not cut their big benefits? Higher taxes but my pay rate did not go up, I am mad !!!

Ruthann
Queens

Anyone living in a city like New York City, should automatically have an hourly wage of at least about 14.00 dollars an hour. Everything in this city is going up but our salaries. You can't live in New York making 7.25 an hour, it's just impossible. Is Cuomo going to make the rent lower?? Is Cuomo going to ask for cheaper living in New York? NO. This is almost becoming one as to where if you don't make about 75,000 a year and up, then you are out of luck.

Curtis

No way, the minimum wage needs to be higher. The government increases everything on us here in New York City, when the one thing they should be increasing is OUR PAYCHECK. Sooner or later people will be leaving because it is too difficult to make a living out here. I feel for the children of our future.

Sabrina from Queens, NY

WHENEVER THE SUBJECT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS COMES UP I LISTEN TO TEACHERS CALL AND TELL NEW YORKERS WHATS REALLY IS GOING ON INSIDE THE SCHOOLS AND WHAT IS NEEDED TO FIX THEM BUT NOBODY IS LISTENING.

PEDRO
BRONX

I agree with Miguel from Twitter. I'll bet most of the people advocating for longer school days are parents who would rather their kids be in school than underfoot. Caller Deborah nailed it when she described how tired and burned out both students and teachers alike are at the end of the day. I have students who struggle to stay awake in my class during the regular day. Money could be better spent on enhancing the curriculum with fine arts and critical thinking than by just extending the school day and year.

Janelle
Washington Heights

I agree with Deborah...I disagree with Donna....some kids already re-bell when it comes 2 going 2 school..making the days and the school yr longer is not gonna help..parents just need 2 make sure they're doing their part as well as the teachers teaching their children

MCGRIFF FROM BROOKLYN

No, I dont support $8.75 for the minimum wage, the cost of living in NYC is sky high, so $10.00 sounds a little bit better.

Carmen, Bay Ridge

Don't tax minimum wage jobs at McD. Politicians would get less money.

Joe
SI NY

I believe that these politicians have no idea of how hard public schools really are and how hard we work at teaching these students the required work. What I think a lot of people don't understand is how that we as teachers cannot go off of the curriculum and teach things a different way than what is placed out there for us to teach. If we do, in most cases go away from it, it will be said to be improper and may even lead to trouble for some of us. I think if we were able to really teach these students in better ways that they could understand, then we would get more results.

Curt

The quality of the time spent in school trumps the quantity of time. Implement a serious and content rich curriculum and vastly reduce the amount of paperwork that teachers are obliged to complete in lieu of time spent on instruction should be the first courses of action.

Kenn from Bayside