Q&A
Discussion on funding restoration and baselining
2:54:59
ยท
109 sec
Council Member Rita Joseph and Gregory Brender discuss the need to restore $222 million in funding for early childhood education programs and the importance of baselining this funding.
- Brender explains the breakdown of the funding cuts and the need for baseline funding
- They discuss the importance of stable funding for program operations, staff hiring, and contract stability
- The impact of budget instability on workforce morale and program continuity is highlighted
Rita Joseph
2:54:59
Mister Bender, was something I wanted to ask you.
2:55:05
You wanted us to restore funding for $222,000,000?
Gregory Brender
2:55:13
So yeah, that's based on a bunch of different that's the cuts to pre k, school day plus, promise NYC, and the restoration of the stimulus funds from preschool special education.
Rita Joseph
2:55:28
Of course.
2:55:29
And we're looking for it, we look you want them baseline, correct?
Gregory Brender
2:55:33
Yeah.
2:55:33
All of these things are things that really should be baselined.
2:55:38
I know that for whatever reasons the council has put them in and we're obviously grateful for that.
2:55:45
But for providers to have the stability to operate programs, to hire staff, to ensure contracts are in place, particularly relevant today to ensure leases are in place in the places that are not city lease sites.
2:55:57
Having them be part of the executive budget and having them be multi year contracts is incredibly important especially now with the workforce facing so much instability.
2:56:08
You know, even when there are situations where, you know, it's the quote unquote budget dance and we think things are going to be restored, it's an incredible morale respect problem when staff has to be quasi laid off and then rehired at the last minute due to the sort of vagaries of the city budget process.
2:56:29
So that's why it is so important to see baselining of these of early childhood funding particularly given the level of infrastructure.
2:56:39
These aren't programs that just you know pop up, right?
2:56:41
These are care centers are complex, highly licensed, highly regulated programs so baselining is incredibly important.