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Council Member Joseph presses for improved timelines in arts education programming
1:26:20
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3 min
Council Member Rita Joseph follows up on the issue of delays in CDF and CASA program implementation, emphasizing the importance of full-year programming for students. She presses DCLA representatives for more details on the new timeline and expresses the need for further improvements.
- Joseph highlights that late-starting programs cut students short on their only access to art education in some cases
- DCLA reiterates the earlier application launch (March 31) and the goal of progressively improving the timeline each year
- The new timeline includes panels in the summer (June through August or September) and award notifications in late fall or early winter
- Joseph acknowledges the progress but emphasizes that there is still work to be done on improving the timeline
- The council expresses willingness to work with DCLA on further improvements
Rita Joseph
1:26:20
Thank you, Chair Rivera.
1:26:21
Before we move forward, I'd like to acknowledge Cornelia Connelly Center.
1:26:26
Where are you?
1:26:26
I'm here.
1:26:28
You
Dr. Jacqueline Cofield
1:26:28
here?
1:26:29
Hi.
Rita Joseph
1:26:30
Welcome to City Hall.
Sharon Brown
1:26:32
Yay.
Rita Joseph
1:26:34
I'd like to recognize Councilmember Stevens who've joined us and Councilmember Sanchez on Zoom.
1:26:39
I have a couple of follow ups.
1:26:40
How have delays with DCLA have affected CDF and CASA each year?
1:26:44
Schools usually complain that they do not receive programming until February or March.
1:26:50
Can you tell me why there's a delay?
1:26:52
If school starts in September, why are we starting in February and March?
Audrey St. Clair
1:26:57
There were significant reforms that were put in place in order to ensure a more robust distribution of arts experiences for New Yorkers in all five boroughs, and so because of those reforms and other additional priorities, there were delays in the overall notification of awards, but because we have released the FY twenty six CDF application as of March 31, We are excited about the opportunity to accelerate the timeline to ensure that arts education organizations as well as students benefiting from those opportunities will be able to have programming sooner rather than later.
Rita Joseph
1:27:41
Full year programming versus we cut our students shorts when we start later on in the year.
1:27:46
And remember, sometimes this is the only access they have to art education is in our school building.
1:27:51
So, I'm looking forward for you guys to do better for our New York City Students.
1:27:57
What you said the delay how do they impact the quality of this programming if there's a delay and what causes the delays in the first place?
1:28:05
I know you said because you're reforming and but what overall causes delays?
Lance Polivy
1:28:14
The schedule of the Cultural Development Fund process remains fairly standard year to year.
1:28:20
And so the biggest driver of when awards are going to come out is when the application is launched.
1:28:26
And that's why we keep emphasizing how proud we are that the application launched this year on March 31, putting us well ahead of the pace of when the application launched last year.
1:28:37
Knowing that it launched in late March, that means that we can backtrack from there to ensure that awards are going to go out much earlier in the year.
1:28:46
As we discussed in our last hearing with the council, this will be a progressive process where we make up several weeks each year to keep getting the timeline earlier and earlier so that it's as close to budget adoption as possible.
1:29:00
And we're confident that by continuing to partner with the council and by continuing to work as hard as we can on our dedicated team that we will be able to get this timeline much closer to your expectations.
Rita Joseph
1:29:14
So the new with this new system in place, the timeline would not be February and March.
1:29:18
What what does that timeline look like now with your improvements being made?
Lisala Beatty
1:29:23
So
Audrey St. Clair
1:29:23
we anticipate having panels in the summertime.
1:29:28
The application will close May 8, in which we will begin the panel process in June through August or September.
1:29:37
We anticipate announcing the award notifications late fall, early winter.
Rita Joseph
1:29:46
Okay.
1:29:46
We still got work to do on that, and we're here to work with you as chair Rivera said.
1:29:51
Before I move on to council member Narcisse, I'd like to recognize the students from IS ninety three.
1:29:57
They were here.
1:29:58
They played the percussions early at our rally.
1:30:00
Where are you?
1:30:05
Art in the city council in real time.