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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Molly Senack, Education and Employment Community Organizer from Center for Independence of the Disabled New York (CIDNY)
10:15:19
ยท
3 min
Molly Senack from CIDNY advocated for continued funding of crucial education programs, emphasizing their importance for students with disabilities. She highlighted the potential negative impacts of budget cuts on special education, teacher recruitment, outreach, and mental health services.
- Called for baseline funding of endangered programs in the FY '26 budget
- Requested $3,750,000 to expand school-based mental health clinics
- Advocated for $450,000,000 in the capital plan for school accessibility projects
Molly Senack
10:15:19
Good evening everyone.
10:15:20
My name is Molly Senec.
10:15:22
I am the education and employment community organizer for Center for Independence of the Disabled New York.
10:15:27
First of all, a huge sincere thank you to Chair Joseph, to the staff, to everybody.
10:15:35
It has been a very long day and you have been engaged the entire time, so thank you.
10:15:40
I would also like to thank you for the significant work you put in last year to ensure that investments were made in continuing many significant and crucial education programs that are, as we all know, in danger of expiring once again this year come June.
10:15:55
I'm not going to list out all that they are.
10:15:57
I have in my written testimony, but we are all very familiar with them.
10:16:01
So instead I am just going to emphasize the fact that these programs were implemented to provide support for the students with the greatest needs.
10:16:09
And while the loss will be felt by all students in New York City if funding for these programs is not included in the final budget, students with disabilities will be disproportionately impacted.
10:16:20
These students are going to be forced to navigate a school system that is actively reducing support for preschool special education despite hundreds of students still waiting for their legally mandated seats.
10:16:32
They're going to be navigating a school system that is actively reducing support for teacher recruitment despite simultaneously acknowledging current massive staffing shortages in special education and bilingual education and projected massive staffing shortages relating to new class size requirements.
10:16:50
They are going to be navigating a school system that is actively reducing outreach capacity despite families consistently reporting being unaware of available resources.
10:17:00
And a school system that is actively removing support for community schools, restorative justice, and mental health care at a time when, according to a 2024 comprehensive report by the New York City Department of Mental Health and Hygiene, forty eight percent of New York City Teenagers reported experiencing depressive symptoms in 2023, '20 '4 percent reported wanting or needing mental health care within the last twelve months and not receiving it, and nine percent reported attempting suicide.
10:17:31
So all of that said, we call on the city to baseline funding for these programs in the FY '26 budget, and we also ask for the city to make additional investments including but not limited to, again more in my written testimony, we would like to emphasize the need for that $3,750,000 to expand school based mental health clinics.
10:17:53
Additionally, we would like to see a greater investment made in improving physical accessibility.
10:17:58
I would like to emphasize that it doesn't just impact students, it also impacts family members who might also have disabilities and cannot participate in their children's education.
10:18:09
And it also impacts the people who can staff that school who might not have access to those buildings.
10:18:16
Therefore we also ask for an additional $450,000,000 in the capital plan to fund school accessibility projects.
10:18:24
Once again, we thank you for your time very sincerely.