QUESTION
What is the estimated capital cost for relieving overcrowded schools?
0:06:45
·
75 sec
Senator John Liu discusses the substantial capital required to address overcrowded schools and classrooms, pointing to the city's insufficient planning and unclear prioritization between schools and jails.
- The estimated capital cost to address overcrowded schools is significant.
- Senator Liu highlights the city's capital plan's failure to construct enough schools.
- Liu shares an anecdote of querying the mayor about whether borrowed funds would prioritize school construction over jails, receiving an ambiguous response.
- There is no clear commitment by the city to prioritize school construction over other projects like jails.
Rita C. Joseph
0:06:45
Do you know do you have an estimated cost about capital, how much it would cost us in capital?
John Liu
0:06:52
Yes.
0:06:52
It's gonna cost a lot of money.
0:06:54
Because schools are overcrowded as well as classrooms.
0:06:58
And, you know, it's it's very telling.
0:07:01
I'm I'm so happy that you asked that question.
0:07:05
The city's capital plan doesn't seem like they're building enough schools.
0:07:12
To actually fulfill their responsibility.
0:07:15
And even as the mayor came up to the legislature just weeks ago to ask for authorization for the city to borrow more money.
0:07:24
I ask the point blank question.
0:07:26
Are you going to use the money to build more schools.
0:07:31
And the answer was, well, we need to build a lot of things.
0:07:34
We need to build jails.
0:07:35
We need to build schools.
0:07:36
We need to build other things.
0:07:38
And I asked, why what's gonna come first?
0:07:40
Schools or jails?
0:07:42
And there wasn't a clear answer.
Rita C. Joseph
0:07:47
I hope it was schools.
John Liu
0:07:48
I hope so too, but and I I thought that was a softball question, but it was a strikeout.
Rita C. Joseph
0:07:57
Interesting.
0:07:59
That's okay.