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Q&A
Council members question DOE officials on school nurses, literacy programs, and the new Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy
3:32:07
·
5 min
Council Members Justin Brannan and Rita Joseph engage in a Q&A session with Department of Education officials, covering topics such as school nurses, literacy programs, and the new Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy. The discussion includes inquiries about contracted nurses, funding for literacy initiatives, and details about student enrollment and capacity for the new academy.
- The DOE explains the use of contracted nurses to fill vacancies and their preference for staff nurses.
- Funding for literacy programs, including iRead and the Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy, is discussed, with details on student enrollment and program expansion.
- Information about the enrollment process, eligibility requirements, and capacity of the Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy is provided, including the phased approach to opening the school.
Justin Brannan
3:32:07
got a follow-up on the nurses.
3:32:09
Why do we still have contracted nurses?
3:32:11
Why can't we hire for those?
Emma Vadehra
3:32:19
Thank you for the question.
3:32:21
So just to say quickly, as you know, have nurses both at New York City Public Schools on staff who are UFT members, nurses at DOH on staff who are DC thirty seven members, and then contracted nurses across both agencies.
3:32:35
We have dramatically expanded nursing in our schools over the past number of years.
3:32:42
That's in part because we are just seeing the demand.
3:32:44
That's in part because of the commitment to a nurse in every building that we have maintained.
3:32:48
As I said, we have close to 2,700 nurses currently working in our schools.
3:32:54
We are always looking to continue to increase our on staff headcount, but right now we're using the headcount we have and then using contracted nurses to fill those vacancies.
3:33:03
We do have a preference as we know DOH does as well for staff nurses in both cases serving our kids.
Justin Brannan
3:33:08
Okay.
3:33:09
Thank you.
Rita Joseph
3:33:12
Our literacy program in the executive plan, it included 3,400,000 in fiscal twenty twenty six with steady increases in the out years of associated headcount, additional costs, the funding will support dyslexia and literacy programming including additional initiatives, reading education, iRead programs at Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy, what is the breakdown for this funding between iRead and the opening of Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy?
Christina Foti
3:33:49
Think I have that with me, Chair, if you give me one
Rita Joseph
3:33:51
Thank you.
Christina Foti
3:33:52
Of course.
3:34:05
I believe we were funded for four iRead programs chair, but for some reason I The peanut gallery.
Rita Joseph
3:34:14
I heard the peanut gallery.
Christina Foti
3:34:16
Were funded for three.
Rita Joseph
3:34:17
I heard the peanut.
Christina Foti
3:34:19
They were waiting for you to ask that question.
Rita Joseph
3:34:21
Yes.
3:34:22
They answered in unison too.
Christina Foti
3:34:24
There we go.
Rita Joseph
3:34:26
So how many new iRead program will do you said three, how many children will this serve now?
Christina Foti
3:34:33
Peanut Gallery?
3:34:34
No.
3:34:41
Peanut Gallery is referring.
3:34:43
They will be right back to you, Chair.
Rita Joseph
3:34:45
Okay so we'll take a commercial break on that.
Christina Foti
3:34:47
Thank you.
Rita Joseph
3:34:48
All right.
3:34:49
Thank
Christina Foti
3:34:51
you.
3:34:52
All right Chair, sorry for that.
3:34:54
Thank you for your patience.
3:34:57
The total enrollment of kids in the IREED program is seven twenty one.
3:35:05
As you know it's an ICT model and thank you for visiting the IREED program with us.
3:35:09
Students with IEPs is two sixty eight, without IEPs is four fifty three.
3:35:15
There are 35 secondtions in school year '24, '20 '5 across eight schools.
Rita Joseph
3:35:21
Will this funding also support programs or interventions?
Christina Foti
3:35:26
That's right.
3:35:27
That's exactly right.
3:35:28
So the iRead program is science of reading based.
3:35:32
There's a high quality core instruction as well as interventions in small groups.
Rita Joseph
3:35:39
And the headcount you added with this expansion, what position will this funding support?
Christina Foti
3:35:44
It supports both teachers in the classroom and it will sustain that level of support and is growing with the kids.
Rita Joseph
3:35:52
Yes.
3:35:52
I saw that was good.
3:35:54
How will New York City Public Schools enroll students at Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy?
3:36:00
How will you enroll?
Daniel Weisberg
3:36:04
Chair, they they apply through my schools schools and then are screened to see whether they have the level of reading challenge.
3:36:14
It's a similar screening to the screening we use to determine whether a child has dyslexia or other print based disability just to make sure that they're really gonna benefit from the structured literacy program that they provide.
Rita Joseph
3:36:26
So those students will have priority enrollment?
Daniel Weisberg
3:36:29
Oh, yeah.
3:36:29
I may not have answered actually what you're asking.
3:36:33
The students in District 17 will have first priority.
3:36:38
After that, it will be the surrounding districts like 23 and 32.
3:36:43
And after that, it'll be the rest of Brooklyn.
3:36:46
But I have a pretty good feeling we probably won't get beyond the priority districts.
Rita Joseph
3:36:50
As you mentioned earlier, what are are there any eligibility requirements to apply?
Daniel Weisberg
3:36:57
Yeah.
3:36:57
The eligibility requirements are just just around the, again, the the level of need around literacy.
3:37:04
That's that's what we're screening for.
3:37:07
That's what we've been doing in the South Bronx Literacy Academy, and and we intend
Justin Brannan
3:37:13
to
Daniel Weisberg
3:37:13
use the same same approach for Central Brooklyn.
Rita Joseph
3:37:15
What's the capacity at the school?
3:37:17
How many students will you serve?
Daniel Weisberg
3:37:19
I don't have that in front of me.
3:37:22
But, you'll
Rita Joseph
3:37:22
get that to me.
3:37:23
Right?
Daniel Weisberg
3:37:23
It's gonna be phased in, Chair.
Rita Joseph
3:37:25
Okay.
Justin Brannan
3:37:25
Over time,
Rita Joseph
3:37:26
we'll What's the first grade level you'll have?
Daniel Weisberg
3:37:29
I think we are second grade, but let me let me get the phase in information because it'll go through eighth grade.