Q&A
Discussion on expiring leases and vacant sites
0:48:41
ยท
100 sec
Council Member Rita Joseph requests a list of expiring leases and discusses a vacant site in her district. She expresses frustration with the lack of communication from NYC Public Schools regarding potential uses for vacant sites.
- Request for a list of all leases set to expire in the next two years
- Discussion of a vacant site in the council member's district that could be used for preschool special education
- Criticism of NYC Public Schools' communication practices
Rita Joseph
0:48:41
Do you have a list?
0:48:42
Can you submit a list to the New York City Council of all the leases that's set to expire in the next two years?
0:48:49
We're happy to.
0:48:50
Thank you.
0:48:51
You do have several matter of fact, have one in my district that's sitting empty which I had suggested should become a preschool special education site.
0:49:00
There's a need for it and and one of the things that and I complain and I'm sure everybody else can echo this, New York City Public Schools sometimes don't are not great communicators.
0:49:11
The site popped up in my district.
0:49:12
I've been asking about that site forever.
0:49:14
No one has said a word to me as to what's happening, but the community constantly reach out and say what's happening this space?
0:49:21
And no one at New York City Public Schools has ever ever asked me and I made several suggestions that there's a need for preschool special education.
0:49:29
Currently about 700 kids are still at home with no special education seats, legally mandated seats, and no one is reaching out.
0:49:37
So maybe off the record we will recircle and have that conversation, and I've had reached out to New York City Public Schools to see if that site can become a preschool special education.
0:49:47
The need is there.
0:49:48
And again, whatever you guys are calling it, process claims, Carter cases will continue to balloon because we have never ever provided legally mandated seats for our New York City Students.
0:50:00
So as you heard earlier, several sites have claimed there was no little or no communication, no warning about the potential issues that would lead to their closures.
0:50:08
In particular, there was was resistance to the claim that these sites were under enrolled including the Nosotros Ninos, which claimed it had 8080% enrollment with 96 students, while you claimed they only had four students.