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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Heather James, Representative of Professional Staff Congress, CUNY
3:58:41
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173 sec
Heather James, representing the Professional Staff Congress at CUNY, testified about the need for additional funding for CUNY, emphasizing the restoration of previous budget cuts and the need for further support. She highlighted the impact of federal research grant cancellations and advocated for expanding successful programs.
- Requested approximately $100 million in additional operating support and $400 million in capital funding
- Emphasized the importance of the MetroCard pilot program for students
- Stressed the need to address the funding gap created by federal government actions, including numerous stop work orders on research projects
Heather James
3:58:41
And I know you are serious about time so let me speak fast.
3:58:44
Good afternoon Chairs Dinowitz, Brannen and council members.
3:58:48
On behalf of the 30,000 faculty staff represented by the PSC CUNY, thank you for your continued advocacy on behalf of the City University of New York.
3:58:58
On May 1, Eric Adams announced that all funding cut by his administration over the past three budget cycles would be restored.
3:59:06
CUNY's community colleges funded largely by the city have lost nearly 500 time positions since Adams took office.
3:59:12
We've heard a lot about that today and his restorations of 96,000,000 in operating money plus 30,000,000 for ASAP, ACE, and Brooklyn Recovery Corp at Maker Evers are critical and we thank you, especially you too chairman but the whole council for the work that you have done to get us to this point and we don't have to tell you because as someone said we're preaching to the converted that this is critical but it just gets us back to pre COVID funding levels.
3:59:40
So we are here to ask you to do more to help us remain the people's university and to help us bridge the funding gap created by the federal government's attack on our students and on our research council member Dinowitz.
3:59:54
I know you spoke about that at length, so thank you.
3:59:58
We are fond of saying that we move more students to the middle class than the Ivy Leagues, but how can we continue to do that with I think we're now at 78 stop work orders as of CUNY's latest count.
4:00:10
This agenda is harming us when we're just coming back from the mayor's cuts.
4:00:14
So what do we want?
4:00:16
That's what I came to tell you with 20 Well, we are hoping for additional operating support to help us navigate the cuts mentioned.
4:00:24
We are hoping to continue to move toward an ASAP for all model to expand our most successful programs.
4:00:30
We support your ask, Chairman Dinowitz, for more money for CUNY Reconnect.
4:00:35
And of course, we love the MetroCard pilot and you will receive student testimony on the importance of that.
4:00:41
So thank you council members.
4:00:50
Well, in capital it's about $400,000,000 In operating, we're falling right now around $100,000,000 It's a little bit in flux because to be honest with you, what we wanted to see was CUNY's new report on the stock work orders so we could give you a real number for the bridge money.
4:01:09
We didn't wanna just make it up.
4:01:10
As of their March testimony, we were at 26,000,000.
4:01:13
Now the number they used was a little bit different.
4:01:16
I have a budget paper that's gonna be hot off the presses similar to CUNY's green sheet that goes with this that I will get you by the end of business today, but about a hundred million, just not exactly a hundred million over exec.
4:01:32
No small ask of course.
Justin Brannan
4:00:43
What what is the the total amount for for your ask in addition to what's already in the budget?
Félix Matos Rodríguez
4:01:31
Okay, thank you.