Q&A
Request for increased funding for adult literacy programs
7:39:30
·
3 min
Council Member Alexa Avilés raises concerns about the proposed reduction in funding for adult literacy programs and requests an increase in the budget allocation. OMB Director Jacques Jiha acknowledges the importance of the program and commits to reviewing the funding.
- Current DYCD contract for fiscal year 2024 is $16.8 million, serving 18,000 participants
- New RFP includes only $11.8 million for 9,000 participants, a $5 million reduction
- Council member emphasizes the critical need for adult literacy services, especially for the immigrant community
- Request for $11 million to be baselined to maintain the current level of services
Alexa Avilés
7:39:30
What the follow-up is.
7:39:31
Just quick seg if I can, chair.
7:39:35
In terms of literacy, we have had, you know, a common theme here between all my colleagues is the agencies can't answer, go to OMB.
7:39:43
OMB can't answer, go to the agencies.
7:39:47
Such is our dance.
7:39:48
So maybe we should have all the agencies sit together with OMB, and maybe we could get a full picture.
7:39:54
So for adult literacy, what we've had is a, a DYCD contract in fiscal 24 with 16,800,000, to serve about 18,000 participants.
7:40:12
I'm sorry.
7:40:13
And almost 50% more than was contracted for.
7:40:18
The recent DYCD RFP includes only 11,800,000 for 9,000 participants, which is 5,000,000 less than the fiscal 24 level.
7:40:30
Knowing that this need greatly exceeds the demand, which is a running theme across all of our services, and particularly in adult literacy where we we have such an enormous growing and beautiful immigrant community for which literacy is foundational to all city services in accessing support.
7:40:53
We see a trend of a decreasing amount of support for a service that is actually only scratching probably 2% of the population that needs it.
7:41:04
So this is very disconcerting because it is not sufficient to begin with, and we are decreasing it in this context.
7:41:14
Can we can can you commit to increasing the funding level, and the proposed number of students included in this new RFP?
7:41:22
And I know you're gonna probably tell me we have a lot of needs.
7:41:26
We don't have enough money.
7:41:27
I need to find the long term funding.
7:41:30
I'm listening director.
Jacques Jiha
7:41:32
Yes.
Alexa Avilés
7:41:34
This is this is I would just posit this is foundational.
7:41:37
It's of a $110,000,000,000 budget.
7:41:40
I can give you at least five examples where we've demonstrated a lack of looking at the efficiencies, like the blank check for NYPD overtime or, like, paying private vendors in the immigration context for services they have no they have it inadequate or have never actually provided before.
7:41:59
There are there are litany of examples we can use where we have seemed to be very loose with our spending.
7:42:08
But we need a commitment here for funding adult literacy.
7:42:12
We need 11,000,000 to be baseline to fully restore at least the bare minimum services that we had been providing.
Jacques Jiha
7:42:21
Yeah.
7:42:23
As you know, we can only, they can only use an IFP for what is in the baseline now.
7:42:29
But as, you know, as I indicated earlier, this is a program that is very critical, like you said, very fundamental and foundational to, I mean, as an immigrant, I know I know a lot of people who are using or have used, this program, and I see the benefit of this program for them.
7:42:46
So as we move, closer to adoption, we will work with the council, okay, to see if resources are available, what can be done.
Alexa Avilés
7:42:54
Thank you.
7:42:54
I appreciate that.
7:42:56
We need we need the 10,000,000 to be baseline so we can at least keep the maintain the level of services.
7:43:03
We're not even talking expanding at this point, which is where we need to move.
7:43:06
So I appreciate, really giving it a second look because it is going in the opposite direction, and it's having severe impacts in all our districts across New York City.
7:43:16
Thank you.
Justin Brannan
7:43:16
You're welcome.
