– New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor David C. Banks, and New York City Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) Commissioner Keith Howard were joined by New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams to announce several investments towards the city’s budget to further support young people and families. These investments are possible because of the administration’s strong fiscal management and better-than-expected revenues, and include $32 million to protect programming that was previously funded with temporary stimulus dollars and $20 million to extend the city’s popular Summer Rising hours. Additionally, as a measure to combat COVID-19 related learning loss, Mayor Adams and Speaker Adams also announced a “Hold Harmless” policy for the initial budget allocations of New York City public schools for the 2024-2025 school year to maintain stability for school budgets.
“We know that when we invest in our children’s education, we invest in our city’s future. That’s why we are giving back to our young people and to their working parents,” said Mayor Adams. “Today, we are investing $32 million to protect important long-term school programs that had been funded with short-term COVID-19 stimulus funds, $20 million for extended programming for Summer Rising, and $75 million to hold schools harmless against enrollment declines so that schools and principals can proceed with certainty and continuity. We know that it takes a city to raise a child, and today, we are giving our young people a chance to learn and grow their talents and imagination by investing in their future.”
“Today’s announcement to restore funding for critical educational programs, protect school budgets, and preserve youth programs is a positive step forward for our students, families, and schools,” said New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. “Education is the great equalizer, and programs like Summer Rising and restorative justice will help support our students’ educational journeys, while supporting working families. Holistic support programs for students can help bridge the gap in learning loss from the pandemic and equip students with the resources to recover. There is still work to do in our education budget, especially on early childhood education programs, and we look forward to continuing this work with the administration and all stakeholders to deliver the meaningful investments that our children and families need to succeed.”
“Across the city, our investments in our children and families continues to be a top priority, and the commitment to protecting important programs for our students is a powerful indication of this,” said First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. “By funding programming such as ‘Computer Science for All,’ ‘Civics for All,’ restorative justice, and Summer Rising programs, this administration is investing over $50 million and exemplifying our commitment to children and families. As a record-number of children are enrolling in Summer Rising, we are meeting families where they are at with the critical resources they need for engaging, full-day summer learning. By investing in our children and families, we are focused on the future of our city and continuing our work to make New York City work for every New Yorker.”
“The leaders of tomorrow are being formed today in our New York City public schools,” said Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack. “Summer Rising provides our young people with a yearlong education, social interaction, and most importantly, a fun, safe space during the summer days. Summer Rising’s restoration along with the reinvestment in youth programming and holding schools harmless shows the shared common goal between our administration and the city council in giving families every resource possible to thrive in our public school system. By investing in our children, we are ensuring that we build a better, stronger New York City for all.”
“Summer Rising is one of the Adams administration’s signature programs and it has quickly become central to thousands of families’ summer experience in New York City,” said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Ana J. Almanzar. “The program provides our students with a mix of academic, social, and cultural activities to help them learn, grow, and explore the city around them. This important funding restoration will ensure our young people have additional time to participate in these activities, keeping them active, and safe during the summer months.”
“Our schools are not only places of academic excellence, but community centers, buildings filled with mentors and trusted adults, and classrooms dedicated to developing the future leaders of our city,” said DOE Chancellor Banks. “I commend this administration for putting our students first by investing in essential programs like Summer Rising, restorative justice, tutoring, and teacher recruitment. And by implementing this ‘hold harmless,’ the city is demonstrating our unwavering commitment to our school communities.”
“Mayor Adams continues to make our city’s youth and families a top priority, and these evidence-based investments supported by our partners in the New York City Council, will help keep young people safe and engaged throughout the year,” said DYCD Commissioner Howard. “DYCD looks forward to a strong, aligned partnership with New York City’s public schools and 114 Summer Rising partners, to give K-8 students another record number of enriching activities this year. Summer is almost here — and we are ‘Getting Stuff Done!’”
“This commitment ensures our students will continue to benefit from crucial programs like computer science programming and ‘Civics for All,’ said New York City Councilmember Justin Brannan, chair Finance Committee. “By safeguarding these programs and Summer Rising, we are investing directly in our children’s success. The ‘Hold Harmless’ policy is essential for schools to plan and budget properly, ensuring they can focus on quality education without the fear and uncertainty of budget cuts.”
“Investments to safeguard education programming in our education system are vital,” said New York City Councilmember Rita Joseph, chair, Education Committee. “$32 million to safeguard previously funded programs and the $20 million to extend Summer Rising hours are essential steps in ensuring our young people have the resources they need to succeed. These initiatives reflect our commitment to addressing COVID-19 related learning loss and maintaining stability for our school budgets through the ‘Hold Harmless’ policy. Together, we are investing in the future of our children and our city.”
“We are excited about the continued investments in our young people across the city,” said New York City Councilmember Althea Stevens, chair, Committee on Children and Youth. “The budget allocations and programming initiatives dedicated to our young people are a testament to the continued advocacy of our youth’s needs. This decision shows our continued commitment to fostering the growth and development of our youth. Investing in their education and future is essential for the growth of our city. I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of these initiatives.
The administration will first invest $32 million to protect important long-term DOE programs that had been funded with short term COVID-19 stimulus funds. This is on top of the $514 million in stimulus funded programs that the city protected in the Fiscal Year 2025 Executive Budget. Today’s new funding will maintain:
- Teacher recruitment efforts that are critical to meeting state mandated class-size legislation standards ($10 million);
- Restorative Justice programming designed to reduce the reliance on suspensions or punitive discipline across city schools ($6 million);
- Digital learning resources for students and teachers ($5 million);
- Tutoring support for kindergarten through second grade literacy and sixth through eighth grade math education at select schools across the city ($4 million);
- Computer Science education programs that offer computer science exposure, access to computer science-related college and career pathways, and build more inclusive access to computer science education for all students ($4 million);
- “Civics for All” resources including materials, professional learning, and student-facing programming focused on culturally responsive civic education models where students demonstrate the necessary skills and disposition to protect and expand democratic ideals ($2 million); and
- Parent and family engagement resources that support DOE’s “Family and Community Engagement” initiative, which focuses on parent empowerment and engagement ($1 million).
Today’s announcement will also restore $20 million for Summer Rising to return Friday sessions and extend the school day from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM for middle school students. Summer Rising is the city’s summer program that connects 110,000 elementary and middle school students to fun, culturally relevant, hands-on experiences to strengthen their academic, social, and emotional skills. In January, the Adams administration previously announced it would fund the program entirely with city dollars for the first-time ever since it was funded previously using exclusively temporary COVID-19 federal stimulus funds that expired.
Finally, the administration will invest $75 million to ensure that schools with declining enrollment — that would otherwise have seen budget reductions, which represent 15 percent of total DOE schools — will now receive the same level of funding that they were allocated in the mid-year school budget adjustment for the 2023-2024 school year. The “Hold Harmless” policy — instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic — is a continued temporary measure to rebound from the effects of the pandemic and to ensure students’ test scores do not fall behind as academic recovery continues. This investment provides schools with certainty and continuity as they approach the upcoming school year, as they continue to implement “NYC Reads,” enroll asylum seeking students through “Project Open Arms,” and implement strategies to meet the class size law. DOE will be releasing initial budget allocations to all schools this week and district leadership is working closely with school principals to ensure the smooth implementation of this policy and to address any questions or concerns that may arise. The overwhelming majority of schools will see budgets increased by a collective nearly $900 million.
Thanks to measures implemented to responsibly manage the city’s budget and a stronger-than-expected economy, the Adams administration, earlier this year, restored funding to support young people and families. The administration previously announced its plan to protect vital programs previously funded with temporary federal stimulus, totaling close to $600 million for investments in Summer Rising, citywide 3-K expansion, special education Pre-K, community schools, social workers, and arts education. To support implementation of the state class size mandate, the Administration announced $182 million in new funding for school budgets. In addition, the administration is continuing the new “Fair Student Funding” weights for the city’s neediest students and schools that this administration began in the 2023-2024 school year, which supported roughly $100 million in additional funds in school budgets last year. Today’s announcement also builds on the Adams administration’s investment of nearly $1 billion for major five-year teacher, principal, and staff pay increases.
The investments continue the Adams administration’s historic investments in young people — including expanding both the Summer Youth Employment and Summer Rising programs to serve record numbers and increasing spending on young adult career success programming by 25 percent, as announced in “Pathways to an Inclusive Economy: An Action Plan for Young Adult Career Success” — a forward-thinking roadmap to build inclusive pathways for the city’s young people to discover their passion, receive hands-on career experience, and, ultimately, enter the workforce.
“High-impact tutoring is a support for children and their families that is part of a well-rounded, comprehensive learning day, which all of our young people deserve,” said Saskia Traill, president and CEO, ExpandED Schools, Ph.D. “ExpandED Schools is a proud partner to New York City public schools, bringing high-impact tutoring to schools and districts across the city. We look forward to expanding the strong results we’ve already seen in early grades literacy and middle grades math by growing this evidence-based practice to even more students and schools next year and beyond.”
“High-impact tutoring is a critical service for our students,” said Angel Ortega, principal, MS 391, Bronx. “At MS 391, our tutoring partnership meant that our student population, including students with disabilities and English language learners, was provided with math tutoring targeted to address their needs. The vast majority of our participating students made one to two years of progress during just 10-12 weeks of tutoring. Given this impact, imagine what it can do at a larger scale.”
“These investments reflect our city’s unwavering commitment to the success of our students and the vitality of our schools,” said Melanie Katz, principal, Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School. “By securing these funds, we are laying a strong foundation for the future. Our teachers, staff, and students can now focus on what truly matters — providing a high-quality education in a caring, nurturing environment. Thank you, Mayor Adams, Chancellor Banks, and City Council Speaker Adams, for your leadership and vision. We are definitely making strides towards a brighter, more equitable future for all of our students.”
“As early partners in the program, we’ve had a front row seat to watch Civics for All empower young people of all ages to take an active role in their local communities and government,” said Leslie Hayes, vice president for education, New-York Historical Society. “This kind of program is critical to creating the kind of leaders New York City needs to thrive.”
“High-impact tutoring is a critical service for our students. At MS 391, our tutoring partnership meant that our student population, including students with disabilities and English language learners, was provided with math tutoring targeted to address their needs,” said Angel Ortega, principal, MS 391, Bronx. “The vast majority of our participating students made one to two years of progress during just 10-12 weeks of tutoring. Given this impact, imagine what it can do at a larger scale.”
“High-impact tutoring is a support for children and their families that is part of a well-rounded, comprehensive learning day, which all of our young people deserve,” said Saskia Traill, Ph.D., president and CEO, ExpandED Schools. “ExpandED Schools is a proud partner to New York City Public Schools, bringing high-impact tutoring to schools and districts across the city. We look forward to expanding the strong results we’ve already seen in early grades literacy and middle grades math by growing this evidence-based practice to even more students and schools next year and beyond.”
“Expanding Civics for All in our public schools means that more young New Yorkers will be prepared to participate in democracy,” said Kathleen Daniel, chief democracy officer, DemocracyNYC. “Civics education is crucial to help our youth navigate the processes that impact their everyday lives and create a culture of participation that empowers them to transform their communities.”
“Civics for All positions New York City as a national leader in student civic engagement,” said Dr. Sarah Sayeed, chair and executive director, Civic Engagement Commission. “With carefully designed classroom materials, professional learning for teachers, and culturally responsive civic education, Civics for All makes a vital contribution to preparing students to participate in and ultimately protect our democracy. We are proud to partner with this leading program to accelerate student civic engagement.”
June 4, 2024 New York NY
Sources: Midtown Tribune news – NYC.gov
Big New York news BigNY.com
