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QUESTION

How have Department of Education (DOE) budget cuts impacted student guidance for college, and what role do discretionary funds play?

1:33:22

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3 min

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The Department of Education (DOE) budget cuts have not impacted the discretionary funding for college and career programs, nor the comprehensive college and career planning programs, although the reduction of after-school hours and per session hours raise concerns among educators.

Discretionary funding for college and career programs and comprehensive planning remains unaffected by the Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) cuts.
Principals can provide per session hours to college advisers from funds outside of DOE allocations.
Melanie Mac acknowledges a lack of specific feedback on how the cuts have impacted the guidance process but confirms ongoing engagement with college and career staff.
There is an active effort to address challenges posed by the current college admission cycle, including FAFSA complexities.
The DOE remains attentive to the potential impacts of holistic budget cuts on college guidance services and plans to follow up.

Eric Dinowitz

1:33:22

I think one of the great things you do in the letter is name, ASAP, Ace Kala discovery, seek these these programs, and I know often big bureaucracy is often operate in silos.

1:33:36

And there are significantly more programs than I think you can target specific populations with.

1:33:42

And I think that's an important path to go down is not just naming the programs which you do and I think is important, but when you're tailoring this to really outline what programs are available for differences based on demographics, based on academics, based on IEP status, you know, local lie team of 2023, if I might add that in here.

1:34:07

But one concern that I have is on the DOE side, We keep hearing about cuts, rounds of cuts to every agency including the Department of Education.

1:34:17

And if I'm not mistaken, the mayor implemented cuts to the Department of Education, which included after school hours, per session hours, which would necessarily include counselors in college advisers.

1:34:30

And how has the how have those cuts impacted our school's ability to provide guidance to our students through the college process, through the application process, and and everything else our wonderful college counselors do.

Melanie Mac

1:34:47

The resourcing for schools to do the work is of the most important we we can speak to the the work with the offices of student pathways and that the discretionary funding that we offer to schools specifically for college and career was not impacted by the PEG nor were the suite of programs, the comprehensive college and career planning programs that Kristen described in Test 20 were not impacted by the peg.

Eric Dinowitz

1:35:14

I I I imagine so your specific allocation of funds, but there are principles who choose to provide procession hours to to their college advisers to stay after school outside of your allocated funding.

1:35:28

Is that fair to say?

Melanie Mac

1:35:30

That would be fair to say.

Eric Dinowitz

1:35:32

So though so you have no sense yet by feedback from teachers and and principals, other faculty members, how the cuts have impacted, especially given the wonderful thing that this letter helped do, which was increase applications.

1:35:48

We have more students applying, but seemingly less fewer resources to help students guide them through this process?

Melanie Mac

1:36:00

I I can't from from this moment describe the the range of of issues that schools are may be experiencing with after school and perception being curbed.

1:36:12

We do have very, very active engagement with college and career staff and leaders across all of our high schools, and they will communicate with us their their concerns and challenges.

1:36:27

We have been very much in the throes of unpacking FAFSA unpacking some of the what is challenging about this particular college admission cycle for students and families across the city.

1:36:39

We will definitely be attentive to the ways that holistic budget cuts may be impacting this work for sure and would would be happy to follow-up.

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