Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
REMARKS
Council member Brooks-Powers introduces topics and poses questions to DOE
1:02:30
·
154 sec
Council member Brooks-Powers greets the Chancellor and presents a series of questions on various education issues affecting her district. Her inquiries cover topics such as preschool special education, school accessibility, early childhood education seat allocation, staffing shortages, and the continuity between 3-K and pre-K programs.
- Questions focus on Districts 27 and 29, as well as Council District 31
- Highlights concerns about staffing issues, accessibility, and early childhood education capacity
- Raises issue of misalignment between 3-K and pre-K class availability in some schools
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
1:02:30
Powers?
1:02:31
I'm right here.
1:02:32
Thank you chairs.
1:02:35
Hi chancellor.
1:02:36
It's so wonderful to see you, and thank you for your testimony.
1:02:40
Thank you to the young people earlier for their amazing testimony as well.
1:02:44
I gonna just run through all my questions and I'll repeat whatever you want.
1:02:48
Okay?
1:02:49
So in community school districts twenty seven and twenty nine, how many students are still waiting for a seat in their legally mandated preschool special education class?
1:03:00
What is DOE doing to ensure preschool students are able to receive their legally mandated preschool special education services such as speech therapy and counseling?
1:03:12
In Council District 31, excuse me, according to research from our advocate partners, 84% of schools are not fully accessible to students, parents, educators, and community members with physical disabilities.
1:03:28
What is DOE doing to address these accessibility concerns?
1:03:32
Given this year's increased funding for early childhood education, does the department expect to provide three k and pre k seats to all families in Council District 31 and across Southeast Queens who have applied?
1:03:45
Principals in my district have repeatedly highlighted staffing issues from our local schools.
1:03:51
In this year's budget, how is the department seeking to address these staffing shortages, particularly in Districts 27 And 29?
1:03:59
And according to the IBO, school district twenty seven saw a decrease in capacity for three k and pre k from 2023 to 2024 despite an increase in enrollment.
1:04:12
Similarly, school district twenty nine saw a decrease in capacity for three k over the same time period.
1:04:18
Can the department explain why three k and pre k capacity has dropped for schools in my district and how you plan to address this urgent issue in the upcoming budget?
1:04:28
And my final question is, what I'm seeing in some of our private day cares that have three k and pre k, they have more three k classes than pre k.
1:04:38
And when parents and families are looking for continuity to roll those kids into pre k, they are being forced into the traditional public schools where the parents are not yet ready for that.
1:04:49
And I know my office has reached out following some requests we've received to get approved for additional pre k classes, so there's no alignment from three k to pre k where there are schools that have the space and capacity for it.