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Q&A
Community schools funding and payment delays to providers
3:13:16
·
164 sec
Council Member Rita Joseph inquires about the baseline funding for community schools in the executive budget and addresses concerns about payment delays to providers. Flavia Puello-Perdomo from the DOE explains the efforts to register contracts, provide advances, and expedite payments.
- 245 out of 269 contracts have been registered, with 40% advances totaling approximately $52 million dispersed
- 16 contracts are pending registration with the controller, and 8 are being worked on for registration
- The DOE is working closely with CBOs and their operational team to expedite payments and improve communication
Rita Joseph
3:13:16
So community schools, happy to see it's finally baseline in the executive budget for community schools.
3:13:24
We've also heard delays in payment to providers for community school programming.
Melissa Aviles-Ramos
3:13:33
Flavia is making her way up chair.
Rita Joseph
3:13:34
Yeah, I'm waiting.
3:13:36
I see you.
Flavia Puello-Perdomo
3:13:37
Made my way.
3:13:40
So yes, in terms of community school we have been working diligently in making sure that contracts are registered first.
3:13:47
We had a significant amount of contract that needed to be extended.
3:13:51
Have been able to register two forty five out of the two sixty nine.
3:13:57
We immediately provided 40% advances to those contracts upon registration which in total so far we have dispersed just for the 40% advancement approximately 52,000,000.
3:14:12
There's another about 4,000,000 that are in the pipeline of getting paid.
3:14:16
And this is in addition to payment that we had for outstanding balance or current invoice.
3:14:23
So once we do, once we provide the 40% advancement then we recoup the funding and then once they hit the 40% we move to the next payment to issue.
Rita Joseph
3:14:33
So do you have a number of how many providers you owe?
Flavia Puello-Perdomo
3:14:36
I can look into a specific number.
3:14:38
I mean we're still paying contract like contracts for this year and we still have about for the current contracts from the two sixty nine, 16 that are with the controller that are pending registration and eight that we're working with the contracts for registration.
Rita Joseph
3:14:56
So how do you plan on addressing the payment delays to provide on time payment to community schools?
Flavia Puello-Perdomo
3:15:03
So I think there's many ways that we have done that.
3:15:05
So one of those is working closely with the coalition, the CBOs ensuring that we have ongoing communications with our operational team so that payments are expedited.
3:15:20
They all know and have my phone number, my email so if they need to get in touch with me to request additional support doing that.
3:15:27
Working closely with our DCP department as well.
3:15:31
Something that I think has been a struggle at least for the last few years that I've been working closely with community schools is that community school were exponentially expanded all the way through COVID.
3:15:43
Our team and our structures were not until recently where this chancellor, through her advocate and this leadership team actually looked at that as also another way to look at our infrastructure and looking at gaps that we have in terms of staff.
3:15:57
So having more people to be able to work more expeditiously.