Dear New Yorkers,
New York City has received an unprecedented influx of $7 billion in federal recovery aid for our students, but nine months into the fiscal year the Department of Education has spent less than 25% of these funds.
Students have suffered through two hard years of pandemic loss and disruption. And they are counting on us to use this unprecedented influx of federal funding—all of it, not just a fraction—to deliver the academic and emotional support they need. We still have an opportunity to spend this one-time funding wisely—but the clock is ticking.
That’s why on Monday, May 9th, I will be joining Congressman Jamaal Bowman, State Senator Robert Jackson, Smitha Varghese of Alliance for Quality Education, and Shael Polakow-Suransky of Bank Street College for a virtual town hall discussion on how we can hold the City’s feet to the fire and ensure that students get the most out of this federal stimulus money.
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My office released a report last month detailing the current shortcomings of the DOE’s spending of federal relief money. We found that 22% of the planned $984 million in Academic and Instruction Support, such as early literacy, college and career prep, and special education has been spent. These are critical programs that provide robust returns on investment down the line—but you only get the benefits if the investments are made in the first place.
We have robust tools available to us to make an enormous difference in the lives of children in all five boroughs. As New York’s Chief Accountability Officer and budget watchdog, I know nothing is more important for the future of our city than ensuring every one of our students has the resources to succeed.
For that reason and many more, I hope you will join us on Monday. We encourage you to submit questions in advance to help guide our discussion, and we will have a Q&A discussion at the end.
I look forward to seeing you all there.
Brad
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