Stripping for schools

Dancer Carmela Cioffi announces at Nassau County Supreme Court in Mineola that 30 strippers at Illusion Gentlemen's Club in Deer Park want to institute a state pole tax to help education funding. (Photo by Howard Schnapp / May 12, 2010)

What's that saying about strippers with hearts of gold?

The 30 strippers at the Illusion Gentlemen's Club in Deer Park say they want to institute a state pole tax to help education funding – starting with their own tips.

"For every girl who goes on the pole, for every set she gives a dollar back," said Carmela Cioffi, 22, a dancer who announced the plan Wednesday at a news conference on the steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court in Mineola.

"Albany's not giving our schools enough money," she added.

Cioffi, who has a 2-year-old son, said she believed that the unorthodox plan would be successful.

"The more people who come, the more money we'll get," she said.

Still, when pressed for details she was unable to clarify.

"We're not really sure where we're going with this," she said. "We're at the very, very beginning."