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Q&A
Discussion on class size reduction challenges and capital funding
1:11:45
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134 sec
Council member Brooks-Powers raises concerns about the challenges of reducing class sizes in specific schools in her district, particularly those lacking adequate space. Deputy Chancellor of Operations and Finance Emma Vadehra responds, outlining the capital funding allocated for addressing class size issues and the School Construction Authority's (SCA) approach to planning.
- Over $6 billion in SCA's budget is allocated for new capacity to address class size requirements
- Funding will provide capacity for about 33,000 additional seats
- SCA is adjusting its planning approach to focus on specific schools rather than just communities with seat needs
- Council member also inquires about potential expansion of the Gifted and Talented (G&T) program
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
1:11:45
And to that point, even with the reduction of the class sizes, and I know I've sent a letter off to you, chancellor, regarding one of our middle schools that's located currently on the Far Rockaway High School campus and the lack of real estate on that campus for them to be able to successfully make their classrooms smaller.
1:12:05
Is that taken into account in this budget at all?
1:12:08
And then my final final question, I'm turning my mic off chairs, thank you for your patience, is GNT expansion, is any plan in this budget to expand and create more seats for the GNT program?
Emma Vadehra
1:12:20
So someone someone else will do GNT.
1:12:23
I will say on the capital side, two two quick things I wanna share.
1:12:27
I was trying to get the data for your district and didn't I would say as the first deputy said, we're making progress right now when you look at districts the way we look at community school districts.
1:12:36
All of our districts are at least 30% fully accessible, and our hope is in the next plan, they'll all get to 40% fully accessible, thanks to that 800,000,000.
1:12:46
And based on feedback from advocates and families and communities, we're prioritizing d 75 as a piece of that too and help to get our d 75 programs to 50% fully accessible.
1:12:56
But as the first deputy said, more funding is needed to get beyond that.
1:13:00
In terms of class size capital funding, it is within SCA's budget.
1:13:07
There is currently a bit over $6,000,000,000 for new capacity that is going to class size new capacity for class size because that's where we need it around the city.
1:13:18
That will fund capacity for about 33,000 additional seats.
1:13:24
About a third of those are already cited, so it's public and SCA is already working on that.
1:13:30
And another 7,000, the communities have been selected and SCA is working on identifying sites.
1:13:36
We can definitely get you what's going on there for your community in particular and make sure you have the specifics both what's cited and what is not at this point.
1:13:42
I will say to your point about your school, one of the things SEA is doing is they plan now is no longer looking just at communities where there's seat need but at the specific schools because that's what the class size law requires.
1:13:55
So that's shifted their planning a little and that's what they're starting to do going forward.