Teachers, students, and parents gathered outside of MS 839 in Prospect Park to ask the City Council to postpone the vote for the city budget taking place Monday night.

The group marched down the street outside MS 839 with signs, standing together and chanting to stop the cuts. The protesters wanted the vote postponed so they can get more info and data from those who run these schools to see what the cuts may mean.

If passed, $215 million in school cuts would be in place due to lower enrollment, but both parents and students at MS 839 say these cuts will hit hard and hurt more than help.

“We’ve had a terrible couple of years where everyone has had to give extra in order to keep the school going,” said JD Davids, co-president of the Parent-Teacher Association at MS 839. “And now proposing these cuts is completely unnecessary.”

“Our theater programs and art program are going to be cut if not heavily decreased, and it will impact all of our experiences and possibly make it so that a lot of students are a lot less motivated,” said seventh grade student Winter Collins.

This rally was one of many across the city calling on the City Council to delay the vote for the budget. That vote is expected to come Monday night.