TESTIMONY
Maeve Montalvo, Director of Education at the Museum of the City of New York, on the Museum's Educational Programs and Impact of Budget Cuts
5:30:10
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148 sec
Montalvo explains the importance of reversing budget cuts to the Museum of the City of New York to maintain its educational and cultural programs.
- She requests the City Council advocate for full reversal of cuts to cultural institutions and baseline funding.
- Montalvo highlights the museum serves over 30,000 students, teachers and families annually through educational programs.
- Over 50% of school groups have English language learners, necessitating bilingual educators.
- Additional funding from the Cultural Immigrant Initiative would allow hiring more bilingual staff to better serve diverse student populations.
Maeve Montalvo
5:30:10
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
5:30:12
My name is Maeve Montalvo, and I am the director of education at the Museum of the City of New York, a member of the Cultural Institutions Group.
5:30:19
MCNY is located in district 8 in the East Harlem, neighborhood of Manhattan, where we are vegan for arts culture and the community.
5:30:26
And this year, we've welcomed over 100,000 visitors.
5:30:30
Cerivera, thank you for visiting with us a few weeks ago.
5:30:33
It was wonderful to meet you and to see you and your family enjoy the Nanny Vega exhibition.
5:30:38
The museum of the city of New York, like all CIG members, is directly affected by cuts to culture, as you know.
5:30:45
The instability of ongoing school uncertainty impairs our ability to plan ahead with confidence that we will have the staff and the resources we need to serve our communities.
5:30:54
We therefore request that the city council advocate for a full reversal of all the cuts imposed on culture and baseline funding for the cultural institutions group and the cultural development fund in the FY 25 budget.
5:31:06
As members of the CIG, the museum urges New York City Council to commit to lasting permanent investment in our city's arts and culture organizations, which we know as many have testified here today, drive New York City's economy and the city's workforce.
5:31:20
And which are foundational to the city's economic strength, neighborhood safety, and social health.
5:31:25
To restore culture fully, the following budget cuts are necessary the following budget actions are necessary in fiscal 2025 to meet a $53,000,000 total need versus the November planned pegs $7,900,000 versus CIG FY 24 reduction of $5,000,000 and restore 1 year funding of $40,000,000.
5:31:43
We also requested the city council add additional funds to the Cultural Imigrant Initiative.
5:31:49
This year, the museum will serve 30,000 students teachers and families through educational programs.
5:31:54
Over 50% of our school groups this year noted that their classroom includes English language learners, the majority of whom selected Spanish as the primary language of those students.
5:32:03
We are currently offering a bilingual field trip for our exhibition, Manny Vega, Artenovario, Artenovario, Artenovario, Your
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5:32:09
time has expired.
5:32:11
Thank you.
Maeve Montalvo
5:32:12
Thank you.
5:32:14
And funding from the funding from the cultural new immigrant initiative will enable us to hire additional bilingual educators and be able to reach and serve the population of students in New York City who greatly need to have access to our cultural institutions.
5:32:31
Thank you so much for this opportunity to testify today, and thank you for your advocacy and support of the arts and culture in this city.
