YONKERS –Mayor Philip Amicone had a message to state leaders in Albany Wednesday, imploring them not to cut state aid to Yonkers and its school district as they work up the state’s 2008-2009 budget.

If it stands as is, it could mean over a $23 million deficit for the Yonkers School District and 400 layoffs of teachers and administrative personnel, and $27 million shortfall for the city and 300 layoffs of police, fire, DPW and civil servants.

Amicone has been attempted to drive the message home to state officials.

 “We have met with all the leadership in Albany and we’ve being that since the beginning of January and going up every week,” he said. “We’ve made ourselves available to them for all the information they need to know not only what we need to do, what we need their help with, and what our plans are going to allow us to do as time goes on and how we will take the state out of it. We will become more self-sufficient.”

Amicone said the state needs to think of the money for Yonkers as an investment in the future of the city and its residents.