Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Council Member Avilés questions DYCD on adult literacy program funding
3:23:57
·
3 min
Council Member Alexa Avilés questions DYCD officials about the $10 million in new funding for the adult literacy program in fiscal year 2026. The discussion covers how the funding will be allocated, whether new providers will be added, and clarifications on previous year's funding.
- DYCD confirms the new funding will increase the RFP for 2026 and be applied to existing providers
- No new RFP is planned; existing providers will be asked to take on additional slots
- The $10 million is described as a good faith effort by the administration to support adult literacy programs
Alexa Avilés
3:23:57
Thank you so much, chairs.
3:23:59
Good afternoon, I think.
3:24:02
I'm gonna start with adult literacy and hopefully jump to Compass really quickly.
3:24:07
So the executive plan includes 10,000,000 of new funding for fiscal twenty six for the adult literacy program.
3:24:14
Are these additional funds provided to increase funding for the RFP in fiscal twenty six?
3:24:21
Or is this funding a restoration of a council funded programs?
Yusef Salaam
3:24:25
Thank
Jeremy Halbridge
3:24:28
you for your question, council member.
3:24:30
That money is the administration's addition to the Can
Gale A. Brewer
3:24:34
you speak up
Gregory Brender
3:24:34
a little Sorry.
Lincoln Restler
3:24:35
Can you
Jeremy Halbridge
3:24:35
hear me now?
Farah N. Louis
3:24:35
Yeah.
Jeremy Halbridge
3:24:36
Thank you for the question.
3:24:37
That money is historically one time money from the administration.
3:24:41
It is intended for slots, so we're excited about the administration's addition to our budget, and we'll be applying them to the RFP based contracts.
Alexa Avilés
3:24:51
So that's gonna increase funding for the RFP for 2026?
Jeremy Halbridge
3:24:56
Yes.
3:24:57
That's correct.
3:24:58
Are
Alexa Avilés
3:25:07
you are you considering issuing a new adult RFP for those resources?
Jeremy Halbridge
3:25:16
No, not at this time.
3:25:17
Our expectation is that we'll be reaching out to our providers and seeing where, first, these slots should go, and then which providers can take on these additional slots.
Alexa Avilés
3:25:29
And is there any expectation of any distinction of work differences or it's just gonna fall under the former RFP pretty squarely?
Jeremy Halbridge
3:25:39
Yes.
3:25:40
It'll be under the what we call the current RFP.
Alexa Avilés
3:25:43
Great.
3:25:44
And do you anticipate you're gonna be increasing the number of providers for fiscal twenty six?
Jeremy Halbridge
3:25:53
At this time, I don't believe we will.
3:25:55
We'll be looking to the current set of providers to expand, but there are, you know, depending on the uptake, there is a potential.
3:26:04
But the expectation is that it'll be with the existing providers.
Althea Stevens
3:26:08
Okay.
Alexa Avilés
3:26:11
If you if you did add providers, would they be chosen based on the NTAs?
Jeremy Halbridge
3:26:22
That that's a good question.
3:26:23
They would be based on the NTAs in our existing portfolio of contracts and slots.
Alexa Avilés
3:26:35
Great.
3:26:36
Did you did DYCD request the 10,000,000 to be baselined to the administration?
Christopher Lewis
3:26:47
Good afternoon.
3:26:48
The $10,000,000 is a reflection of what would typically be the negotiations that are happening, that happen every year at at the adopted plan between the administration and the city council.
3:27:02
This ad, this $10,000,000 ad being allotted to us as part of the executive plan is a good faith effort to to demonstrate early what the administration's commitment is to providing additional funding to the adult literacy portfolio.
Alexa Avilés
3:27:15
Right.
3:27:15
Because they cut it last year.
Christopher Lewis
3:27:17
Excuse me?
Alexa Avilés
3:27:18
They cut the funding last year.
Christopher Lewis
3:27:20
I believe our colleagues at prior hearings clarified that there was not a a cut funds
Alexa Avilés
3:27:25
to Oh, right.
3:27:26
Right.
3:27:26
It was moved.
3:27:26
It's unsure.
3:27:28
Right.
3:27:28
I got it.
3:27:28
I remember.
3:27:29
Just really, if I may Mhmm.
3:27:32
Thank you chairs.