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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Student Advocate from Yaya Network and Dignity in Schools
6:18:16
·
149 sec
A junior from District 45 testified on behalf of the Yaya Network and Dignity in Schools Campaign, advocating for long-term investment in programs that make schools safe, supportive, and just, with a focus on fully funded restorative justice. She acknowledged small wins in the executive budget but emphasized the need for more comprehensive and equitable funding.
- Criticized the limited one-year funding for programs students have been demanding for years
- Highlighted the importance of stable, long-term funding for schools in marginalized communities
- Called for expansion of restorative justice programs to schools where black and brown students are suffering the most
- Urged consistent investment in support systems that students actually need, beyond political convenience
High School Student
6:18:16
My name is Hadi Ali and I'm a junior in District 45 where I've spent my entire life attending New York City public schools.
6:18:22
I'm here today with the Aya Network and Dignity in Schools Campaign to demand long term investment in the programs that actually make schools safe, supportive, and just, starting with fully funded restorative justice.
6:18:34
We're here once again because the political realities are being used to justify taking back the very dollars that our schools need, even after our voices were leveraged to secure them.
6:18:44
The state budget has taken away potential increases in foundation aid, and the mayor's executive budget proposes limited one year funding for programs that students have been demanding for years.
6:18:54
Each time genuine change seems within reach, we're reminding that it could still be revoked and that equity is treated as a privilege, not a right.
6:19:02
And when officials debate numbers behind closed doors, it's our students who feel the consequences every single day.
6:19:08
I'm here to remind you just how critical stable long term funding for schools in communities like mine, where schools already operate on the margins and feel every dollar lost.
6:19:17
While we continue to fight for what our schools deserve, I want to take a moment to recognize the small wins in this year's executive budget.
6:19:25
Baselining $6,000,000 for restorative justice and funding for mental health support and immigration communications is a step forward and signals that our voices are finally reaching you, but that funding only secures support for schools that already have restorative justice programs, not for schools like mine where black and brown students are suffering the most from the exact issues that these programs are meant to address.
6:19:47
So what does that say about who we're choosing to leave behind?
6:19:50
Surely, we can't be funding equitable education if only a select group of students get access to these programs.
6:19:56
So hearing us isn't enough.
6:19:57
This moment calls for a durable commitment that matches the urgency that we live with.
6:20:02
Amid the attacks on public education from the Trump administration, we need reassurance that these life changing programs will not merely survive the next budget cycle but be expanded.
6:20:11
So while I acknowledge the steps in this year's executive budget, students deserve more than halfway measures and temporary fixes.
6:20:18
We need consistent investment, not just when it's politically convenient because students are not bargaining chips in the annual struggle over the city's budget.
6:20:26
We're young people trying to survive in a system that treats us like we're the problem instead of asking why it keeps failing us.
6:20:32
So I'm asking you, don't settle halfway, fully fund restorative justice, invest in the support system students actually need, and show us through action not words that they are worth the full investment.
6:20:44
Thank you.