Teachers take 1,000 apples to New York governor in protest

Education advocates from the Finger Lakes area, from left, Theresa Patchen, Mary Daly, Joy Martin and Mike Prusinowski deliver some of the 1,000 apples that they've brought to Gov. Cuomo's office to protest state education funding levels at the Capitol on Friday, March 20, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. Education advocates from the Finger Lakes area, from left, Theresa Patchen, Mary Daly, Joy Martin and Mike Prusinowski deliver some of the 1,000 apples that they've brought to Gov. Cuomo's office to protest state education funding levels at the Capitol on Friday, March 20, 2015, in Albany, N.Y.

By Associated Press March 20, 2015 1 min read

ALBANY, N.Y. — Teachers from an apple-growing region in New York have delivered 1,000 of them to Gov. Andrew Cuomo to protest education funding levels.

The teachers from the Finger Lakes say each of the shiny red apples represents a local teaching position unfilled because of years of underfunding for public education. They laid the baskets of apples in front of Cuomo’s office Friday as a guard looked on.

Cuomo’s spokesman says the office couldn’t accept the apples because of restrictions on officials taking gifts. The teachers plan to give the fruit to a food bank.

The Democratic governor wants to increase education funding of $22 billion by about $1.1 billion this year.

Teachers’ unions say greater investments are needed. They also oppose the governor’s calls for changes in teacher evaluations and tenure.