So with that outta the way, let me introduce myself. My name is Greg Faulkner. I'm the chair of the Panel for Education Policy, and it is now my pleasure to have formally called to order the, uh, panel for Education policy meeting for April 30th. Um, before I ask the secretary, uh, to call the role, um, I'd like to formally introduce our newest panel member, um, Dr. Miriam Ellis. Dr. Ellis, um, welcome to the panel and, uh, would, would you like to make comments? I don't wanna put you on the spot, but if you wish to make any comments, I open the floor to you As, uh, good evening everyone.
As a mom, as a parent advocate, I'm honored to be part of this, uh, group and, uh, honored to continue advocating for all the children of, uh, New York Public schools. Great, thank you. And we're happy to have you with us. Welcome, uh, with that, uh, secretary Nathan, would you please call the roll? Yes. Is this Mike on, uh, Marielle Ali? Adriana Ali Ade Arnold, Shirley bin Present. Aaron Boad. Camille
Retti, present, Marjorie Dean Stag. Dr. Miriam IC Ellis. Present, Amy Fair, present. Anita Garcia Present, Anthony Giardano. Present, Dr. Angela Green, Navid Hassan. Alice Ho, present Rema Ido. Present, Dr. Darling Meme. Present. Dr. Sharon Owin. Present Alan Ong Present, Maisha Sapp. Maisha Sapp Present Thomas Shepherd. Present.
Uh, Manny Ra and Sheriff Faulkner Present, we, uh, at present we have 18 voting members. Here we have a quorum. I'd also like to call our student members Isaiah Tension here and Dalia Diaz Chen. And tonight we have Dan Weisberg representing Chancellor Avila Ramos. Dan, say hi. Say, present. Present. Good to be here. And on behalf of controller Brad Lander. Lara Lai here. Thank you. So we have a quorum and you may proceed. Great. Let
Me also find out for the record that Aaron Bogart had a family emergency, so he is excused. Oh dear. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Okay, great. Thank you. Um, we're now, uh, gonna move in. We have a really lengthy agenda and I know a lot of you have come, uh, with, uh, interest in a particular topic that we'll be discussing. So we're gonna move right into, um, uh, the business of the meeting. Before we begin our, uh, public comment, I'd like to read the rules of, uh, of decorum, which we will be following to at tonight's meeting. Um, if you've signed up to speak, I'm gonna ask Secretary Nathan to call forward speakers from the signup sheet in groups
of five public comment during public comment. Everyone who has signed up to speak will be allotted two and a half minutes, uh, for public comment and two minutes for open comment period. Uh, that usually at the end of the meeting, the clock will indicate the amount of time remaining for each speaker and a light will flash, uh, when there is one minute remaining, so that speakers will know when their time is about to run expire. Additional time will always be provided to help facilitate comments that require translation. At the end of each speaker's time, we will move on to the next speaker.
If a speaker is not present when their name is called, we will not, uh, we will move on and that person will not be able to regain their spot in the queue. This portion of of public comment is only for agenda items being voted on at tonight's meeting. If you accidentally signed up to comment during this section, but wish to comment on other matters, please see one of the DOE staff that have positioned in the audience and they will assist you in, uh, moving you into the right section. Um, again, let me remind you that when we're making public comments, it is public comments, except those when we open
for general public comments should be directed on at the agenda item being discussed at that, um, time. Um, so begin, we'll move right into student public comment and the last secretary, uh, Nathan to please uh, call, uh, students forward. I will call you in groups of five, and when you get to the microphone and begin speaking, please um, say your name for the record. Uh, student Jacob Brown. Alicia Nunez, varsity Padron, Anne Marie, Miguel. And Melanie Rain, please make your way down to the microphones. If you the first person at the microphone you can,
you can start, we don't have to go in exact order. Just say your name, please. Hello, Good evening panel members. My name is Melanie Ranford and I've come to speak about the school's gymnasium because the design has led to many injuries for students and it has started difficulties in the using the sports equipment. There is four huge pillars in the middle of our gym that disrupts our everyday activities and every time I turn a corner, I wonder
if my face is gonna get hit by something flying at me or I'm gonna pass into people playing a sport. And whenever I try to practice for sports I have coming up there is always a problem because there's not enough space from the very minimal we have already. And I've played two sports so far and it's been very difficult for me to do anything in that gymnasium because of this design. Hi. Before you leave, can you repeat the school again? I didn't hear the name. Science Skills Center High School. Okay.
Okay. Okay. Again. Hi. Good evening. Um, my message was intended for Chancellor Romance, but I guess Mr. Dan Wise. Um, two months ago we came and we spoke February 26th about our school meeting at Gym and Auditorium. The chancellor said that she would come and visit our school, yet she hasn't done anything. She sent Mr. Kevin Moran who met and spoke to us and our principal about the land next to our school, which then we found out that the land was available. But we need the school. We need the, we need the city
to buy the land and build the gym and auditorium that our school needs because we don't have that one. But yeah, that's it. Thank you. Thank you. Uh, I'm here to speak on behalf of Science Skills Center High School. Um, we're here to advocate for a gym and auditorium in a land that's available for sale, which is needed to be bought by. Um, yeah, we came here to speak to you guys for you guys to buy the, um, the land
so we could build our auditorium and gym and yeah. Good. Thank you Miss. Next speaker. Hi, my name is Varsity Padre. I go to SBLA and my old school, everything was hard for me. I didn't get things like the other kids. My mama told me she was going to get me out of that school. She took me to many appointments to see why I wasn't understanding stuff like other kids. I see my mama cry a lot of my appointments.
She got me into SBLA and now I'm happy. I have many of friends and teachers are nice. I'm reading and writing better and I'm less stressed. I love my school. Okay, thank you. Hi, my name is Jacob Brown and I'm eight years old and I want to, oh my God. I want to start by saying thank you, thank you to, to principal Ms. Pun, to all my teachers and to the moms who started LAC, the Literacy Academy Collective.
These moms saw that their kids were having a hard time learning to read and they stopped fighting. They wanted to make sure that their kid like me got the help we need because them, we have SBLA South Bronx Literacy Academy. This is a special school that I'm really happy to be here. Before I came to SBLA, reading was really hard. I felt confused and little scared when I had to read out loud.
But when I came to the school, everything started to change. My teachers didn't give up on me. They helped me sound out words, break things down and try, try my best. Now I could read full pages and I even read to my parents. That makes me feel proud. Thank you to Ms. Tatiana, Ms. And Ms. Christine, Ms. Mc question, Ms. May feel busy and everyone else who helps me, I'm sorry
if I forgot anyone, but thank you for being on my team. Thank You, Jacob. Hey. Hey Jacob. Uh oh. Jacob, you, he said see me. Jake Jacob, you did a really good job. Thank you so much for coming to the, uh, panel for Education Policy. Thank you. The next group of students is our Faia Khan, Zion Johnson, Jason Zang, Jeremiah Reyes, and Caden Hutch Hutchinson. You can begin when you reach the microphone. Good afternoon. Oh, uh, hi. Good afternoon, KU. Uh, my name is Pia Khan
and I'm representing Science Skills High School. Um, currently our school lacks of proper space for performing arts club and student organization. My clubs are forced to meet in small crowded classrooms, which limit their ability to grow and thrive. This lack of space makes it difficult for students to fully express themselves and hinder hinders development of communication, uh, teamwork and leadership, leadership skills. Again, Thank you. Uh, Good. A I mean good evening members of the panel.
Uh, my name is Zion Johnson and I'm a member or a student at Science Skills Center High School. And I believe that, uh, our school deserves the loan for an auditorium because if we had a an auditorium we'd be able to better communicate socially and currently, uh, if we had meetings or graduation, well not graduation, but usually we go to our, our cafeteria, which is crowded and doesn't allow us to be, uh, social. And uh, currently we spend $6,000 for each graduation
and if we had an auditorium it would cost us nothing. So, and not only that, but uh, um, if we had an auditorium we'd be able to uh, have clubs go there. Currently our clubs go in crowded classrooms and uh, if you had an auditorium, we wouldn't have to do that. So yeah, my name is Zion Johnson and thank you. Thank You. Good evening panel members. My name is Jason Zang and I speak for Science Skills Center. Uh, we have a lot of problems just
because we don't have an auditorium. For one instance, we have to use the cafeteria as said before by Zion to do a lot of stuff. This often is very distracting because cafeterias are designed to be very social instead of like focusing on one thing and we only have two TVs to display content, which I find in my personal experience isn't the best because we often miss out on information that we really crucially need that isn't like just in front of us in a big tp.
Well also as also said before graduation is graduation costs us a lot and with, and $6,000 per graduation is a lot that we can be allocating to other things. Clubs too. They can use the auditorium club, wait, no. They can use the auditorium for things. We can start a theater club which could use the auditorium to perform plays. That's all I have to say. Thank you very much. Thank you.
Next speaker over Here. My name is Kayden. I'm a 9-year-old girl and I go to SVLA. SVLA has helped me a lot. At my old school it was different, difficult to learn and pay attention. SVLA is a life changer. They teach me the way I need to learn. I'm not afraid to rock, so you shouldn't be afraid to be yourself. Thank you. Uh, the next group of students, Kenny Macklemore, Elle Hebert, Lamar e
Gabrielle Lopez Jr. And Ariana f Um, Hello. Good evening. My name is Nik Bert. Um, I'm from also from Science Skills Center High School. Um, the superintendent came after the last time we came to speak for you guys and they supported us the, we went into um, a meeting room and we discussed it and she expressed that she supported what we were doing with the space in the lodge. So that's all I have to say. Okay, thank you. Good evening panel pet panel members. My name is Ariana Francis and I am 13 years old
and a student in the seventh grade at MS 3 94. I'm here to express my concern about the phasing out of my school. I came here from the Caribbean to achieve higher academics and education. This is my first year at MS 3 94. I love ELA so much because it helped me to speak at this meeting with thanks to our lovely teacher that makes things easiest for us. I feel very sad that the school might be phasing out. I've created very exciting memories that will of, that I will never forget and that I'll always keep in my heart. All the new friends I've made, people I call family even though they are not,
I still love everyone, especially our assistant principal, Ms. Peters that passed away recently. I hope this school stays open so that we pre-K till eighth grade can create more memories with this school. Even though the hard times we might go through this school has multiple programs such as the afterschool program, which kids whose parents work late can keep them there until five 30. We pro we are provided with snacks and homework help just in case kids don't understand their homework. We also have electives such as dance theater, African drumming, majorettes and cheerleading,
and the Elite Learners Program, which includes chess, photography and also dance. All of these programs have helped me come out of my comfort zone and reduce my social anxiety. I've also made new friends from different grades because of the wide diversity of grades that can participate. Coming from a Caribbean school, children are limited, limited from what they can actually do. Now that I've come to America, there is a lot more to learn that I can learn in fun ways. Even during both math and ELA i-Ready diagnostics, I've grown academically the i-Ready Diagnostics determine
what grade level I am and provides lesson that help me move forward. I have good grades but my teachers are here to make those grades better than what they are now because of the, because of the care that the students give me, I can give it back to the smaller kids at this school. During my lunchtime, I volunteer my services to help the younger students in math. I want them to see that with the help they can achieve their goals after being told of the phase out. Some of my classmates will not be able to remain at MS 3 94. They'll now have to go to another school
with their siblings from the lower grades due to the grades being eliminated from the school and building. This makes me very sad and breaks my heart. I also have a younger brother but unfortunately he'll be able to walk with me to school. I don't want to imagine what I would feel if he wasn't able to walk with me as a sibling, bonds are built with little things such as walks to school, helping each other with homework and laughs about the day. My brother and I are also able to share things about the teachers we have in common. We love that about MS 3 94. We have great memories here and we do not want to leave them behind. I hope you keep this school open so
that all smaller kids have more memories to create. I call MS three ninety four my second home and for all younger students should be given the opportunity to call their their second home. This school is a really important part of my life. All these amazing people I've met, all the fun times I had and the opportunities that are changing my life. Thank you for taking the time to listen to me and understand my perspective of this change and how it will affect not only me but everyone in this school. Thank you. I'm sorry. Good evening pep team. My name is Lamar Sebo and I'm in the seventh grade at MSU 94.
I'm writing this letter because I'm upset and worried about my school being phased out. MSU 94 is more than just a school. It's like my second home. One of the things that make this school so special is that we're all connected like a big family. A lot of my friends have younger brothers and sisters in the lower grades and now their families have to figure out what to do because of the phase out. Some of my friends are even leaving because of their siblings can't stay here. Their siblings who have done well and their academics won't be eligible to attend the school.
You said you wanted us to graduate together, but if you phase out the school, this means that that won't happen. That means that I won't get to see them every day and it feels so unfair. This means that we will not graduate together. As you keep saying, you differ us. Our school is a place where we feel safe and supported. The teachers care about us and they've helped me and my classmates grow in so many ways. Programs like i-Ready helped me catch up in math and ELA and electives like African drumming gave me a chance to learn about my culture and have fun. And it's sad to think that all
of this could be taken away from the community. My family moved us closer to the school so I wouldn't have to travel far. And now we're stuck figuring out what to do. If MS 94 closes, my mom chose the neighbors who have younger children to send them to MS 94. She tells them about all the great teachers in the building. Please think about the great teachers you are asking to just find a new home as you phase out. As you phase us out. Please don't let this phase out. Continue. MS 94 isn't just a building, it's where we learn, grow and build friendships.
Losing the school will break apart families and take away something really special from all of us. Thank you for listening. I hope you can help keep Emon 94 open. Sincerely Lamar, thank you. Thank you. Yeah. My name is Gabriel and I'm a student at SBLA. I'm so thankful for the school that they helped me with things. I stumbled with reading and writing, but after going to that school, the teachers and staff helped me and never gave up on it. In this moment now I am way better at reading and writing. I can read longer books now
and write a lot say words I didn't know how to say. The school make the school made it better for me in like my life and I recommend bringing your kids there if they have trouble with reading and writing. Thank you. The next group of students are Abigail L um, Kavia or Or Kavia, sorry. Ani. And it looks like also Mila, Marcus, Xavier Lee Ragan and Iman m Start over here. You can begin who's ever So Do you wanna begin? You can begin
On the right. So good evening panel members. So when I came to this school I had a passion leading from my middle school from sports. I had a passion of soccer and football and I enjoyed the playing those sports a lot with my friends. But when I came to this school, uh, I saw my, I saw my passion slowly fading away as there wasn't a a good enough space for me to like play all these sports. And it's like seeing like a passion of mine, like something I used to have so much fun with going away.
It's kind of sad and unfair for our school and that's why I'm here representing for Science Skills Center high school to fight for a better gym. Thank you. Good evening Pat Panel team. My name is Iman Mohammed and I'm a student in the seventh grade at MS 3 94. I am running you today to express my concern about the phase out of 3 94. I have been in this school since pre-K. My favorite subject right now is math. Math, math is my favorite subject because my teacher has taught me different things I have and I have excelled in math.
This teacher in math gives us freedom of speech and makes sure we are okay. The face out of the school is very hard hurting. I have shared a lot of memories and experiences. These experiences have taught me things and sometimes good or bad. In this school I have made a lot of close bonds with not only students but teachers. A lot of these teachers have taught me things I would like and I would like the students in grades K through five to get the same experiences. Would it be fair to start over all over again in a new school? If you were them, would you be okay with that?
No, you wouldn't. So please reconsider a phase out of 3 94 and keep all the doors open for future students of the community. In our school we have programs that help us build bonds and have fun. For example, one of the programs are the electives. I have a lot of fun dancing and also laughing and test prep. Our math teacher has taught us strategies for math and for the people that need help, she helps them understand things they are struggling with. I have improved in many academics as such, as, such
as i-Ready in math. I was at a sixth grade level at the beginning of the year and now I'm at grade level. Our teacher has got, has gotten me to focus on things I didn't know so I could be good at them now. So my role as a student is to excel and be more successful with not only things I know but things I have learned. Knowing that my school might phase out is very heart hurting and heartbreaking. I have so many memories in this school and I would like for the, for the other students to have the same opportunity. This school has been with me through a lot of stuff
and I just wanted to say I'm very thankful for this school and I really don't want this school to phase out. Thank you for taking the time to listening to me. Ima Moham. Good evening pep Panel members. My name is Abigail Lindsay and I'm 12 years old in the seventh grade at MS 3 94. I've been going to this school since pre-K and my favorite subject has been math since then. My favorite subject is math because it's a mental challenge and has problems that connect to the real world and will help in your daily life. Today I'll be speaking to you to announce my concern about my school phase app.
The possibility that our school is phasing makes me very broken hearted. My little sister is in the first grade and she also goes to MS 3 94 and I would love for her to have the same experience I did. Facing out MS 3 94 will not only disturb our education but take us away from the teachers and students that we have closed bonds with. It would affect some of the seventh graders like myself 'cause my little sister Amelia Lindsey, who was in the first grade won't be able to attend 3 94 'cause her grade is being phased out. My sister won't be able to attend the new proposed school
because she's doing well. I asked you, is that fair? Is it? No, it isn't fair. But if you vote to phase out the school, my sister and I have attend to a new school. Both my parents work and I'm the one who walks my sister to school. Now, if the school phase out second grade, I will have to attend a new school where both me and my sister can attend. This means that I will not be able to graduate with my class, which I have known from pre-K and our school. We have different programs like test prep, the afterschool program, elite learners,
and we have different sports. In test prep, we get additional help that will bring up our state test scores and help us with anything we are struggling with. The afterschool program has different activities that can, that we can do that will build on our social skills and activities down only fun, but educational. For sports and elite learners, we have things that we are interested in and skilled that achieve success in chess like chess, photography and dance. As a school, we have improved and had a lot of growth in our i-Ready diagnostics, topic quizzes, state scores, and also behavior wise.
We all work together to help each other out. So it's not just one person's mind alone. We all have different strategies to make each other succeed. During our seventh grade year, we had the loss of one of our assistant principals, Ms. Peters, and that made us feel a lot of grief and discouragement. One thing that she wanted for us to do was keep fighting for S3 94 to stay open, so if phasing it out, so phasing it out will make us feel like we let her down. Thank you for taking your time to listen to this. Please don't phase out our school. We're gonna take a couple of speakers from my left hand side now,
who, who, who I've called. Introduce yourself and then you can begin speaking. Good evening. Our name's Arvia, Mila and Owen and we are the eighth grade student government at the Bo Hill School for International Studies. First off, We wanna say thank you to the pep members, Anita Garcia, Camille Cast, Adriana aia, and Shirley oban who visited BHS in April. We appreciate your support. We are happy to report that the public schools in our building will be getting space back from success. We don't know how much yet, but the Office of Space Planning has been in communication with building leaders. Sadly, our building utilization plan is not being revised.
Something we still want to happen since our BUP has already been revised in the past. We are speaking here today on behalf of other DOE schools who may be in the same position we were at the beginning of this year. We know that due to the class size law that funding will be provided to schools who app whose applications were approved. Over 3,700 new teachers will be hired next year. The space needs for public schools will continue to grow as more classes are opened. Unfortunately, a reason that our application for class size funding was denied was because we did not have the space at the time to open more classes. More classes means more teachers.
More teachers means more individualized attention and a better learning environment. My eighth grade class this year has 32 students. This should not be the norm. Having this many kids in one class leads to students being overlooked the first few days of school and some classes students would have to sit on the ground with their notebooks in their laps due to the lack of desks and chairs. This is not okay and should not be normalized. We Would also like to note that public school space needs should take precedent over charter school expansion. There shouldn't be a single case in the school where mandated services and student activities are taking place in the hallway to accommodate the expansion of a charter school.
We hope that you approve. We hope that before you approve any charter school expansion where in the city you take the impact of the class size law into consideration. BHS would love to expand to more space if available. We also want the DOE to establish a transparent process When DOE schools need space, other schools should not have to go through everything we went through this year. Even with all of our organizing, we still don't know how to have an above amended. Thank you. Back to my right, that was very well organized. I was like going back and forth. It was very well, well done. All of all of our student speakers have been doing a great
job over here to my right. Hello Pat members, my name is Kimaya Pen. Hold it, uh, for a second. Can everybody, uh, please. I know you're excited. Um, so keep it down so we can hear the speakers. Yes. Hello pep members. My name is Kimaya Pengra and I'm a proud student at MS 3 94. My teacher is Mr. T, my teacher Mr. T is wonderful and always supports us in class. Today I stand before you to represent our amazing school. My sister Janiah is an MSD 94 and we are all a family.
MSD 94 is not just a family to me, it is my home, my fam It is not just a home to me, my family in a big part of my life. It is truly the best school ever. We have created countless memories together from fun classroom activities to events that bring us all closer. We have, we have also faced challenges and experienced loss such as the passing of Ms. Peters who touched, who touched the hearts of so many. Her, her spirit and dedication reminds us of the important
of our school community. I believe we should cherish and protect our school as it it as it holds a special place in our hearts. Together we can continue to Together, we can continue to make Ms D 90 a place where everyone feels welcome in love. Thank you for listening to my family. My name is Thank. Thank you. So good, good afternoon Panel for education policy. My name is Lamar Williams and I'm a student in class 5 0 1 at MS 3 94.
Today I stand before you to represent not just myself, but all the students who call the school their home. I strongly believe that MS 3 94 should not be phased down. Instead, I think it requires thoughtful rearranging so we could view our school in a new light. We have immense potential here and with some adjustments, we can create an even better learning environment for everyone. One suggestion I would like to propose is to consider splitting classes by grade levels. This approach could foster a collaborative and engaging atmosphere where younger and older students can learn from each other, share,
experience, and build la long lasting friendships. By working together, we can create a sense of unity and community that enriches our educational journey. I want to address the concerns of students who have siblings in upper grades. How do we ensure that the decisions made today do not negatively impact those who are already navigating their educational paths? For those students who wait, oh, for those students and brothers and sisters in higher grades, their experiences and opportunities are vital to the entire family dynamic. We need to think about
how these changes could affect younger siblings who may be phased out. Will we have the same opportunities for growth and learning as their older siblings did? Our school is a place where dreams take flight and flourish. Id flourish. Ideas flourish each day. We walk through the doors at MS 3 94, excited for what lies ahead. And it's crucial that we work together to ensure that the spirit continues to die. I urge you to see the value that MS 3 94 brings to our community and lives of its students. With your support, we can make a necessary changes to ensure
that our school remains a beacon of beacon of hope and inspiration For generations to come, we all lost the person that we all lost, the person that brung joy, peace and love. Ms. Peters, thank you for listening. Thank you for listening to, to the time for my speech and for your commitment to the future of SG 94. Thank you. The next group of student speakers are Amelia l Janiah, Prendergast Danis, Cameron Brown,
and a AP Harris Brown. Good evening everyone. My name is Janiah Prendergast and I'm a eighth grade senior at AMS U 94. I started here in pre-K with my pre-K teachers who I speak to every day and I am now a senior in eighth grade. Today I came here to show how 3 94 staff gave me a chance and so should you. This is my school family. If I have a problem, there's so many places I can go and speak to someone in the building, not just friends, but also teachers, guidance counselors, school aides, and even the custodian.
Not only that, I have the support of the administration who greets me every morning and checks on me during the day. Such great things that that through 94 has done for me and others and I promise I could name plenty. First of all, I wouldn't have learned how to overcome and move on from my past and forgive and forget last school year. Without the support, I wouldn't even be here right now. But they gave me a chance to show what I'm capable of showing what I can do. This school has brought me so much love and memories from all the things I've gone
through in M 3 94, from the loss of my friends, my assistant principal, Ms. Peters, and more think about how the preschool and elementary would feel to have to go to a new school, go and leave their friends to go where people won't love and, and be as kind to them like the staff in our school. Mt 94 feels like home. Please find it in your heart not to phase us out and close our school. Thank you. Good evening everyone. My name is Amelia Lindsay and I am in the first grade at MS 3 94.
My sister Abigail is in the seventh grade. I do not want you to phase out my school because I will be very sad if I don't get to be with my friends and learning new things with them. I will not be able to go to the new school
because I can read and I'm doing well and that's not fair. Please don't phase out my school. Give my school a chance. Thank you. Have a good night. To Pa No to Panel for education policy and Superintendent Linley from Dan eighth grade student. Please re please reconsider the phase out of MS 3 94 KI am writing to address the concerns of
students, parents, and staff of MS 3 94 to talk about the discussion of closing our school. While we understand the challenges on attendance and grade level, we believe that phasing out our school is not the solution. Our community has worked hard to support each other and the idea of phasing out separating our school family is deeply concerning. Instead of trying, instead of phasing out the school, we ask that you give us opportunities to address and improve the issues. We are committed to work together to create solutions that will benefit our students and ensure the success. We respectfully ask that MS 3 94 will be allowed to continue without the threat of being phased out
and that we be given the time and support we need to get better. We've been informed that the closure has been delayed for three years, but this only un this only makes the uncertainty and disruption within our school longer. Each year a grade is phased out. We lose more phase that we lose more and more students by the final year of the phase out. There will only be the upcoming sixth graders, which will be the remaining eighth graders in the building. A situation that will isolate our students
and create an environment that is neither active to learn or forward a sense of community. This constant disruption would take a toll on the confidence of students and staff. And we far that this harm, that this will harm the students who remain in my school. Rather than pushing back the closure for three years, we, we asked for the opportunity to focus on solutions. We believe that with the right help we can improve both attendance and academic performance and in turn create a stronger, more better school. We don't want to be separated as a family, we just want to be given a chance to fix our situation. We respectfully, we respectfully request
that you reconsider the proposed timeline for the phase out. Allow us time and resources we need to thrive together as a community. Thank you for your time and con consideration. Good evening. My name is Cameron Brown and um, I'll, I'll be talking about the possible phase out of our school and my brother is in seventh grade, but I don't wanna leave him 'cause we've built a bond together in the same school and we'll have to go to separate schools now if we phase out. So I'm asking that if I'm asking that we don't phase out
so we can stay together in the same school, in the same school so that we can grow together and help each other. Um, I also ask that you let us just stay together because I have friends in my class and I have friends outside of my class that are in affected by the phase out and how they're gonna be separated from other people in their, in their classes or other people in the schools and how they will have to go to new schools and we'll be separated from each other.
I just ask that you don't make the cl the school phase out and I ask that you let it stay open. Thank you for Very, very good job. Yeah, yeah, you did that without notes. I couldn't even, I mean that's something I couldn't do. That's really good. I you you put the adults, I'm sitting here saying he is, he's doing that so comfortably without notes. So, uh, wow. Wow. You need to run for office one day. Go ahead. Good evening. My name is a Paris Brown and I'm in the second grade at MS 3 94
and Ms. Brown is my teacher. We have the same last name. Did you know there are six people with my last name at school? Anyway, I'm here to talk to you about the proposal to phase out my school. I love my school and I would be very sad if I don't get to attend MS 3 94 anymore. I am doing very well. Well in school I could read, write and my teachers think I'm spunky. If you pass this proposal, then I will not be able to attend S3 94 or the new school because I could read
and my a cadence scores are very high. That's not fair. I learned a lot in school, have very good friends and I love the teachers here. If you close the school, we would have to walk far to go to a new school. That's not fair. So I am asking you, please do not phrase out high school. The next group of speakers are Denzel Henry Kamaya Prendergast. Xavier Woodruff. Jose Alena. Good evening Peck Panel.
My name is Denzel Henry and I am a fifth grader at MSPS 3 94. Today I want to share with you why our school should remain open fir first and foremost MSS PS 3 94 is a place where we learn essential skills like reading and solving challenging math problems. These, these subjects can be tough, but I found that paying attention to my teacher during lessons and seeking extra help when I need it, makes a big difference. The support from my teacher truly helps me
overcome these challenges. I also want to express how much this school means to me personally. I have been at MSPS 3 94 since I was in kindergarten, and many of my best friends have been by my side. Throughout this journey, the thought of our school closing down is heartbreaking. If that were to happen, I would be separated from my little sibling who is in third grade. We rely on each other and being in the same school allows us to share our experiences and support one another. It would be so sad for us to be split up in 10 different schools.
Our school is more than just a place to learn. It's a community where friendships are formed and dreams begin to take shape. I believe that we can continue to grow and thrive here at MSPs 3 94. Thank you for listening to my thoughts and I hope you, I hope you see the importance of our keeping our school open Before the next speaker. Denzel, did you, did you sign up also to speak about scanning? No. Okay. I just wanted, it was, it was just getting down on the sheet. I wanted to make sure. Okay. Okay, you can get begin. Good afternoon Panel for educational policy.
My name is Eva Woodruff and I am a student in class 5 0 1 at MS 3 94. Today I stand before you to pre represent not just myself, but all the students who call this school their home. I firmly believe that MS 3 94 should not be phased out. Our school is more than just a building. It is a community that fosters learning, growth, and friendship. Many of us has have created lasting memories here and it holds a special place in our hearts. I want to share a personal story
that highlights why keeping MS 3 94 open is so important. I have a younger sister who is in, who is in kindergarten and is doing exceptionally well. However, if our school is phased out, she will not be eligible for the new literacy academy. This means that my sister and I may have to be separated and go to different schools. The thought of being apart from her is heartbreaking. We support each other and begin and being in the same school allows us to share our experiences and learn together.
As we reflect on our experiences, we also remember those we have lost. Along the way, we honor the memory of Ms. Peters whose dedication and passion such to lives of countless students. We also hold close the memories of our fellow students who have passed away their spirit lives on, in our hearts and in very and in the fabric, very fabric of our school community. Let us come together to advocate for the future of MS 2 94. We owe it to ourself, to our memories, and to those who have shaped our journey here.
Thank you for taking the time to listen to my speech and for your continued support of MS 2 94 and its community. Good afternoon Panel for educational policy. This is Jose Luis Ena of Class 5 0 1 and I'm here to express my feelings for 3 94. I have been in 3 94 for three years since third grade. Please don't phase this out. MS. 94 have been a perfectly good school for students. Students in grades three K to eighth 74 should not be closed because some students have siblings and so do I.
As a brother of two siblings, a sister and a brother, I love 24 and it's heartbreaking to hear my school close down. Please keep 3 94 open. Please don't phase this out. Please don't close this down as the creative memories will be gone forever and nothing 94 should be open. I recommend a school as a 10th star school. I'd rather be in a school that I have known than be in another school that takes 10 months to, I mean, that takes months to get to know people. Please don't phrase this out or please don't close this out.
Only four is not just a school, but it's a home and a community for all students and teachers. MS only four is where people learn and have special events. MS only four is the best school I have been to. Mr. Thornton is the best teacher and is a supportive teacher. He always makes sure we all have a good day. He always takes care of us and is a special teacher of class 5 0 1 and not just a special teacher to class 5 0 1, but a special teacher to the whole entire Mr. M, Ms. D for school. Once again, Ms. D is not just a school, it's a home and a community. Please don't phase this out.
Please don't close us down as all those memories that we have are gonna be gone and all the teachers, other teachers and staff have jobs here. So please don't close it down. Thank you for having, thank you for having the opportunity to hear me out. Thank you. And the last group of student speakers are Alfred Polanco, Zaria Pinnell and Tiana Smith. Oh my goodness. So sweet. It's all dressed up. Oops. Making it. Hello, my name is Polanco Herman. I am nine years old
and I am in the third grade at Ms um, PS MS 3 94. The phrase out closure of 3 94 is a serious matter that I want to talk about. You want to close my school, but I feel should it should not be closed. We try very, very hard at my school, especially me and my brothers, and as a mighty panther, I want to do everything in my power to save our school. I have been here at 3 94 since kindergarten all the way to third grade.
I had grade teachers who work hard with us kids. I also have two brothers at the school in kindergarten in second grade. We all come a long way to just to adjust and do well in school. We want to save our school. I love 3 94 so much that it has inspired me to do well. I am the class president of my, of my class. We, we are not just a school, we are a community
and a great big family. We all look out for each other and have a lot of activities for everyone to prepare in. We just had a lipstick battle for the whole school and me and my best friend did Michael Jackson. I love this school because I have learned a lot of things like multiplication, science, fractioning a lot more, and I have so much more to learn at 3 94 though, I don't want to go nowhere else. If you close my school, me
and my brothers will have to find another school. And what if we don't like it? It's not fair. And we would have to start o over. This school is close to my house and I love coming here. If you close it down, we can graduate with our friends and I lose my friends since kindergarten. When I started here in kindergarten, I didn't speak any English. Ms car helped me to fit it and, and get and just, she is very nice and smart
and help me learn English and to learn. I learned reading and math in my sight words. I met my friends. I, I'm in third grade now. I I do a lot of good work in school. Ms. Corbert is my teacher again and she helps me to study for the state test and help us learn more. Ms. Cal and Ms. Dobbs also helped me learn. Please, please keep my school here and open for me and my brothers
and my teachers and my friends. We love for our school. Please help us. Thank you. Good evening. PO panel for educational policy members. My name is Ray and I'm an eighth grade student at MR 94. I am here to express my concerns regarding the three year phase out proposal of my school. I believe that 3 94 has qualities that are essential for our community and that it should remain open with all grades. One of the key reasons to consider this decision is the strong sense of community. At 3 94 from the moment I came to the school, I felt welcome
and supported by both my peers and teachers. Our teachers connect with the students and help us grow both academically and personally. For instance, some of the students and teachers organized after school sessions that not only made difficult topics easier to understand, but also made students prepare for the state test. Phasing out our school would impact students that think of this school as a safe place. MS 3 94 offers extra cur curriculum programs that let students explore their interest and talents. Our school has dance theater
and drumming program that allow me and my classmates to explore our creative side. This program not only enhances our learning, but also allows us to develop new schools. Schools with strong schools with strong extra curriculum programs often improve students' engagement and performance. Yesterday, me and my classmates participated in a third good Marshall Mock trial competition and I played the role of a guiding counselor who was a witness and testified in front of a judge.
Today you are a judge and will have to make an important decision that affects the future of our school. I am asking to impor, impartial and make the decision in the best interest of myself and my students from my school. I strongly urge you to reconsider the phase out of MS 3 94. Our school is not just at building, it's a place where we learn, grow, thrive, and individual thrive as individuals in a community. I hope you will take my perspective as well as other students in our school into into account
as you make your decision. Thank you for considering my thoughts. Zaray evening, members of the panel and Superintendent Lindsey. My name is Tiana. I'm an eighth grade student at M Student 84, the Mary Academy. I benefited so much from being at this school for nine years. This has told me so much and basically everything I know and I don't want other children in my area to have a good education experience here as I did. I'm respectfully coming to you today to request. We reconsider the three year phase out of our school and this school. There's so many opportunities to be successful and help us prepare.
Prepare for whatever we need to prepare for. We have programs in our school for each grade on Tuesdays and Wednesdays that help us better prepare for our state tests. And we have a Saturday program that help us on whatever we need help with. We also have online courses such as iReady, zero common Lit Measure Up and Crestar that give us more help at anything we may need help with help. Yes, our school is big on education, but we also like to have a little fun as a community and family, we have so much fun activities such as an after school program, drumming, dance, and theater. Since we are performing art school, we do
so many things here so everyone can feel involved and have a good time. This year, the seventh and eighth graders are participating in a Thurgood Marshall Mock trial competition and I played a role of a lead attorney for the prosecution and presented a case to the judge. As my best friend Zaraya said, you are our judges today. Please make the right decision if you approve the proceed phase of our school. Where will the kids go to feel so loved and cared for as they did in our community? So please, I'm currently asking you today, don't phase out our school. Thank you. Have a good rest of your day.
There's one more student, uh, who needs to speak. Kayden Macklemore. Here comes. Oop. Oh, careful, careful. Yeah, no, these stairs are bad. You can begin. Good afternoon. Um, pep panel. I just wanted to express my feelings about the phase out and my little brother came up to speak earlier and this phase would mean that we would have to go to different schools and we live in Queens already. So I feel like, and I told my dad that I wanted to stay here
and because I feel so supported at this school, at my old school, I just, I felt like I was struggling. But last year, my first year here, I, my grades picked up and for the first time I've been receiving perfect attendance awards consecutively. And my grades have, and my grades have picked up. And if you go through with this phase out, that means that me and my little brother will
have to find another school. And that would just mean a new start at a new school with no one I know. And with teachers I might, that might not provide the same educational support that I receive here at MS 3 94. Thank you for your time and consideration Before I turn it back to you, chair Faulkner, I believe we're joined by another panel member, um, being it's here. Mm-hmm. Um, I got him. Okay. Alright. Back to
You. Okay, great. Thank you. First, let's thank the students. They did an amazing job. So some of them was so young and I remember, I, I I don't know if I had that kind of poise and the, the presence that, that even as an adult to speak in front of a large group like this and, and with such confidence. So really congratulations to you and, um, and also to the parents, um, you know, that, that, you know, was really amazing. So, and, and I hope you will continue, um, to speak out and learn. Take a leadership lesson here and continue to speak out on issues that are important to you. Um, I see a lot of, there are a lot of issues that came up
that the students are paying attention to. What I heard is we need to do some con conversation about a gym. Uh, we have need to have a conversation about space allocation and, uh, concern about the closing of a school. And I see your signs right in front of me too. I can't read 'em 'cause I can't see that far. But, um, I, I have been paying attention to your signs and that you're concerned about something as well. And I wanna keep encouraging the students to, uh, to, to be active and, uh, participating. Um, I wanna do something I should have done in the beginning. You know, it takes a lot of work when we pull these meetings together. And I wanna recognize the, uh, superintendent
for District 15. Is she here? Janice Ross and also Principal Miguel Negro, the principal of the school. I don't know if you're here, but I just wanted to thank you for, um, hosting us and thank you for, um, helping to pull this meeting together. And, uh, so hopefully we'll get that word back to them, but I wanted to put that on the record. Um, we will now move to, um, the business portion of the meeting. And the first item Monday for consideration is a, um, consideration of proposals for school Utilization. The resolution up for approval is entitled Resolution to Approved Revised Changes in School Utilization,
which comprises items the proposed phase out of Ms K 3 94 17 K 3 94 in building K two 10, beginning in the 20 25, 20 26 school year, and the proposed opening and co-location of Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy 17 K 9 69 with MS 3 94 17 K 3 94 and Explore Empower Charter School 80 4K
7 42 in building K two 10, beginning in the 20 25, 20 26 school year. Great. Is there a motion from panel to, uh, consider? There's that second to the motion to consider. Second, we move then seconded. We now will move to public comment. Oh, before public comment. I'd like to ask, um, deputy Superintendent Sean Rux to please come forward. Thank you. Deputy Chancellor. Robert, I'm sorry. Yeah, Good evening. My name is Dr. Sean Rucks. I oversee the Office of New School Development and Design. Firstly, thank you so much for the opportunity to speak
to the work we have done here together to consistently ensure that we're doing what's right for the children we serve. In my office. We are tasked with creating, implementing, and supporting innovative educational spaces across New York City, where we focus on getting it right for children on day one. And that work's not done in isolation. That work is directly responsive to the needs of our communities. We focus our efforts on giving students what they need, how they need it, and when they need it most, to really break down barriers and open doors for which they thought were previously closed off to them.
With this framing in mind, we've opened and are continuing to open very successful models across our city like Bard, Brooklyn, Designworks, which is in Brooklyn, and HBCU Early College Prep. When we look at District 17 and Central Brooklyn, the reality is clear. A large percentage of our children are struggling with literacy. Many of them face significant challenges in developing and reading skills that are crucial to their success, not only in school but throughout their lives. This is where Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy comes in. It's not just another school. It's an opportunity to provide a research-based proven
methodology to give a substantial group of our Brooklyn babies in District 17 and other areas of Central Brooklyn exactly what they need to succeed. We already know that literacy is the foundation for everything. When students can read, they can access knowledge, they can access the world, and then they can succeed in all areas of it. One thing's for sir, students who attend CBLA will learn how to read at CBLA. We are building a school that will equip our students with the tools, supports, and resources necessary to become confident, successful readers.
We are seeing this model work right now in the Bronx at the South Bronx Literacy Academy, where students who struggled with reading are making remarkable progress while receiving targeted evidence-based instruction. We want to give the students here in central Brooklyn that same opportunity. Students leave these programs not just as better readers, but as better learners fully equipped and ready to take on the challenges of the future. This proposal has come a long way and after hand in hand work with the members on the panel and the community. We have made some drastic changes to the proposal this evening. A natural phase out that fits students' needs the continued availability
for early childhood programming and a K 3 94 priority for beginning CBLA grades for which an overwhelming number of current students can be placed. This is an opportunity for the children of Central Brooklyn to receive the quality education that's rightfully theirs. Together let's embrace Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy as it will truly be a game changer for the children in Brooklyn who need it the most. Thank you Chair, Faulkner, and panel for giving me this opportunity. Thank you Dr. Wet. Apparently I gave you two promotions within two seconds. Uh, so, but, uh, but that, uh, your comments were very, uh, you know,
important to us and well received and, um, hit right on the important points I think that we needed to, to hear. Thank you very much for being here. I'm gonna call, um, council members first, uh, Tiffany Melville Quan McLean Chi Oe Oay, Erica Kendall, and Amy Drake Mane is a city council member. I'm just, yeah, first, okay. I says Council member. Council member Oay, if you're here, we'll let you speak first. What did she say? DE See members who signed up as parents.
Let's do this group first, um, because everyone will get a chance to speak. Yeah. Is he not here? So, hi, my name is Ika Gordon. I'm the district manager for Council member Chi Oe. He did have to step out, so I'm reading this testimony on his behalf. Good evening. I am council member Chie. M-P-S-M-S 3 94 is one of the schools in my council district. Our schools are the backbones of our neighborhoods, and they're the foundations that create the community leaders of tomorrow. Our schools shape the minds of our youth, paving the way, paving the way for their future success, and provide employment opportunities to our educators,
administrators, and other school staff. Therefore, when a decision as significant as closing or phasing out a school like PSMS 3 94 is considered, it is the, it is key that this decision should be made hand in hand with its community of students, families, teachers, and staff. It is a decision that should not be taken lightly, and it should be thoroughly considered all of the impacts to stakeholders. For this reason, it is for this reason, it is concerning to me as a local council member for the school that there's a lack of transparency between the Department
of Education, the Community Education Council, and PSMS 3 94 community. My office and I have appro our office and I have been approached by parents and other members of PSMS 3 94 community who feel that they have been left in the dark and do not feel that their concerns are being heard before any significant decision is made. I urge the Department of Education to bring more transparency and to listen, hear from, and work with families, teachers, and staff to ensure that the best decision is made for PSM S3 90 four's future.
As stated prior, closing a school, even with a phase out, has significant impact on a community, and no decision should be made solely by one party. A decision needs to be made collectively, intentionally, and thoroughly. Thank you, and I hope we're able to come to an effective solution soon. Thank you everyone. Hey, you can begin. You may speak. Good evening to the panel. My name is Qua McLean. I'm the president of CC 16 in Bed-Stuy. I'm here today to put my support behind the central Brooklyn Literacy Academy and the court. One of the things that we wanted to say is that on Monday night, you should have received Tuesday
morning, you received a resolution from us, uh, saying that we support the school. My son has dyslexia and he was in District 16, and we had to find somewhere else for him to go. This school has been proven in the Bronx, and it's not gonna only be for students in District 17, but it's also gonna serve students in district 16, 23 and 32. So I the panel tonight to really consider opening up this school because it's not only gonna be good for just one district, but it's gonna be good for central Brooklyn as a whole.
So, the story of how we got here, my name is Erica Kendall. I'm the president of CEC 17, and I wanna tell you that the story of how we got here actually goes back almost a decade. Back then, our district was working on rooting out something that we call disproportionality and how suspicions and expulsions were used between black students compared to other comp, other demographics, and asking what would it take to reduce that? And a lot of profound work that falls under what we now call culture and climate helped to change the way teachers connect with students who come from different cultures than they do. And this resulted in a natural reduction of suspensions.
But what happens next when you are actually keeping the children in the classroom more is you're seeing all the other ways in which the students need help. Because sometimes when you think you're looking at a behavior problem, what you're actually seeing is a student who is trying to divert your attention away from the fact that they're struggling with the work. And sometimes they're struggling with the work because they can't read it. And sometimes these children are not seeing the same thing on the page as the other students in the class. And I cannot tell you how isolating that is for a child. It frustrates them, angers them, it makes them sad. They disconnect. They characterize themselves
as language like dumb, stupid. They rush home, they self-soothe with video games or apps or something, whatever. But in the most toxic of cases, they find community and spaces where they're exploited, swept up in activity that endangers them and become entangled with the criminal justice system. This is so prevalent that Federal Pres prisons test for dyslexia upon entry. Now, mayor Adams just signed into law a requirement to test for dyslexia at Rikers because we know and we have a duty to intervene before the criminal justice system is involved.
There are not enough parents on our side of Brooklyn with the thousands of dollars necessary to secure private testing. And it should not take suing the DOE every year to help ensure that a child learns how to read. Thank God the DOE finally sees that and has partnered with CC 17 to make C-B-L-A-A reality inside of every struggling reader is a child with a bright future just waiting to be plugged in, like a plug to an outlet waiting for electricity to flow. You see the families from South Bronx Literacy Academy, our Wouldbe sister school, and they'll tell you with teary eyes
how they're watching their children develop an excitement for this new skill that they hadn't had before you ever lit a sparkler on a dark night. It looks a lot like that. So please help ensure that the children in our community get their own little sparklers so that they too can be the sparks that fly in our skies. Thank you. You can begin. Good evening panel. My name is Amy Drake, man, I'm on the CEC for District 17 a be unheard of for New York City schools to be closed or phased out, but we are suffering low enrollments such that 3 94 may be the first in a series
of tearful school closings. You on PEP will have to hear and vote on. Two things that can change this are to make the city more affordable or to make more, or we offer more in our public schools. New York City schools can keep on depending on the same teaching techniques and the same organizational structure, but the enrollment numbers will keep on decreasing. Instead, district 17 and Literacy Academy collective are willing to create something new. CBLA will stand out from the rest of the city and tri-state public schools by helping families with what they turn to teachers for. Teaching our kids to read. CBLA is also critically needed in
the city where it's commonplace for families with kids who are given IEPs to have to pull their kids out of public schools, pay out of pocket for specialists or private education, then they sue the city for these costs. Kids that receive IEPs need every service to be implemented in order to thrive in schools. They should not have to struggle to access these services. CBLA offers these resources. CBLA can finally make special education accessible to our Brook Brooklyn Academy in the same way that I hope you'd vote for city leaders that will make the city more affordable. I ask you to vote to close 3 94 and open CBLA. Thank you.
I can start. You can be begin. All right. Um, my name is Tiffany Melville. I'm a CEC council member. Um, I am also a parent and I am also a teacher. I've been teaching since 2008 and now I'm a preschool director. So I have a lot of experience in education and a kind of a well-rounded view of how CBLA would be beneficial. So as both a mom and a teacher, I see firsthand how critical a school like CBLA is for our kids. This isn't just about a new school or closing a school.
It's about meeting a real urgent need in our community. I've taught students who've struggled with reading and language-based learning differences, and I've watched families fight tooth and nail for services their children are legally entitled to. The sad reality is that many of them can't afford private evaluations or specialized programs. Some are forced, again, to sue the DOE, just to get the bare minimum. And even then, their children are bused out of schools far away from home. I have one student who is bused from East New York, Brooklyn into Manhattan. That's not equity, that's survival.
CBLA is a game changer. It would bring quality, targeted literacy support right here to central Brooklyn. Families wouldn't have to choose between staying in their neighborhood or getting their children the help they need. This school would center kids who've been overlooked, misdiagnosed, or even dismissed, and give them a space to thrive. As a parent, I want my own children to grow up in a borough that believes in every child's potential. As an educator, I want to work in a system that actually does something about the inequities. We all see. CBLA isn't just a win for a few students.
It's a win for an entire borough. We need it. We want it, and our kids deserve it. Thank you. The first, the next group of speakers is Delma Spies, Kenny Macklemore, Carrie Fleming, Michelle Magnuson, and Giovanni Warden Speaking in your head. Heavy stuff going on. Um, I can only start this by saying one thing. God is good and all the time when he did, there we go. It is only by God and his mighty right hand. I'm here right now. Um, my two sons, they spoke.
We had no intentions of being here. It just just so happened that we came, um, we went to 3 94, I think two years ago. We were living in Georgia. Had a nice, you know, set up. And it was by God's grace that he said that we needed to come to New York. This is where our purpose is, just like we here right now with a purpose. And I hear everything that's being said and the proposal, but one thing that I did not hear that is missing was relationship. There is something about gaining a relationship with the child, with the teenager that enhances their mentality.
If we're just talking about just teaching someone how to read or just like the, just the, the skills. What about the relationship? What about the trust? What about the love I'm work in, uh, with, uh, with kindergarten, I work in, uh, children of Promise. I don't know if any of you ever heard of it. And that's a key element that is missing. We had a a, I believe he said in kindergarten, he said he couldn't read and he's in third grade now. He just read front and back by himself, no assistance. There was a, a young, uh, a young sister, first grade
came down here, read by himself. Now, I understand that there's always challenges that um, we have to push through, but when we stick together and we have that relationship and we have key elements that core, it helps us to push forward, not backwards. And, you know, and I just wanna address the, the students and, and everyone here, the fact that they're still here, I think is almost eight o'clock on the school night is because the relation, they, they've been investing to, like the teachers invested what they have into them, and they are, they're aware of what's going on.
And this is, they're seeds. All the students here, you guys are seeds and without the sunlight, they can't grow. So I do believe that all of you up here have an opportunity to be the sun for them so that they can grow. And I really feel like it's, and I, I love you guys. I never met any of you. I, I from the bottom of my heart, but love is the only thing that could keep us pushing forward. And I love you guys and I respect you guys, but, and if I can just say this last thing, I can say this last thing is up to you guys
to be the son for them. So that way a situation like this, when it happens again, they can learn, they can know how to respond and be, this is a generational decision right here. And I do believe that the right decision will be made and God is in it. If God is in it, nobody could be against it. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening everyone. My name is Kerry Fleming and I'm the proud parent. Var, we can't hear you just, just right here. Yeah. Good evening everyone. My name is Kerry Fleming and I'm the proud parents of Varsity Padron who attends SBLA. I can go on and on about how SBLA changed the,
the educational direction for my son, but today I wanna speak to the parents of the closing school. I know it's hard to grasp the idea of your community school, the closing for a school. You know nothing about to take its place. Listen to me. I understand. I know how people who look like me ask for change and it never happens. And when we hear things we want, need, the things we want is coming, we hesitate with caution because we have been let down by city officials time after time. But let me assure you that this time it's real and something we need for our kids and our community. The science of reason of of reading is isn't just for kids
with dyslexia, but it's a method of proper literacy. The old way is failing our kids. It's STAs that show this way is more efficient. Please parent to parent. Allow the change, allow the unknown to become the new norm. Our kids future depends on it. My son wrote and read the speech he did today in September. He couldn't read that fluently. The proof is in a pudding. Thank you for having me. Ready? Good evening. PP members. My name is Giovanni and I'm the parent of Caden Hutchinson, a fourth grader at South Bronx Literacy Academy.
I am here because I am favor of the opening of central Brooklyn Literacy Academy. My family and I have seen firsthand the transformation that Caden has made at SBLA and we are truly amazed. Before SBLA Caden refused to try to read because of how difficult it was. Her struggle started with kindergarten sight words. By the end of first grade, she had an IEP. That's when we learned she had a learning disability. Without a confirmed diagnosis, I knew it was dyslexia. On top of her struggling with severe A DHD learning to read and write seemed almost impossible for her.
Even with the IEP. By the end of second grade, there was absolutely no academic progress. I was losing the confident kid I always had. She went from always raising her hand to never raise in her hand. She was embarrassed that she didn't read as well as the rest of her classmates. Finally at the, at one of her parent-teacher conferences, her teachers recommend leaving her back. At this point, I was open to anything but her aunt, especially needs educator, pointed out that even if she, even if they left her back, her brain processes learning to read differently and that she would still have the same struggles
if she repeated the grade. I didn't know what to do as I couldn't afford private school. But thankful to SBLA, they found us. SBLA is heaven sent. For parents like me, Caden is recognized for her efforts and freedom to be herself. Therefore, they have reinstilled the confidence back in her. They give her hope that she didn't have at her last school. Not only do I see improvement in her academics, the social and emotional support that SBLA gives has parents like me. Elated. SBLA is a family. This year she joined the tier, the cheer team,
and she will continue to thrive because SB a's academic structure is built for students like her. I know when my daughter walks through those doors of her school building, she's supported and heard by everyone from the very, very patient teachers to all the loving staff members. SBA is a special place. And having another literacy school in New York City to serve students like her will ensure the academic success for many others. Thank you. Be some blessings PIP members. My name is Michelle Magnuson. My name is Michelle Magnuson, the mother of Jeremiah, second grader at SBLA and a community leader.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of opening central Brooklyn Literacy Academy. Literacy is not just a skill, it's the foundation for every other subject, every future career, and every student's ability to engage fully with the world around them. If a child cannot read fluently by the third grade studies show they are four times likely to drop, drop out of high school. There's a future if we act now and New York City, it's an urgent need. According to recent data, only about 49 of 49% of the students in grades three
through eight score proficient in English language arts in 2023. That makes me emotional. That means more than half of our students are not at reading at grade level and in some underserved communities, the numbers drop well below that. They're not just statistics. It represents the thousands of children who are supposed to be our future, who are struggling and often silently every single day. The proposed of this literacy academy will be a dedicated space where reading and writing are not just subjects but priorities.
Community as well. It would offer specialized, proven evidence-based instructions, teachers trained in literacy, de literacy, development, and community development. An environment where every child gets individual support so they can succeed. It isn't about creating just another school. We've done that already. It's about creating a place where we can give students the most important gift. We can offer them the ability to read with confidence and to write with a purpose. We urge you to approve the opening of this school, not
as an option, but as a necessary step towards educational equality and a lifelong opportunity for our children. More jails are being opened and that is also a concern for me as well. So I know change can be scary. Um, like the fellow said over here, I moved out of state, I moved, God placed me back here, here once again. So I'm back. But, um, yeah, I I know it could be scary, but we not here to hurt nothing. We just wanna help. I need Thank you. I have only speak. Uh, the next group of speakers is Diana Lopez, JD Barton,
Naomi Pena, Catherine Paulino and Patara Jpe. Good. Yes. I was notified that a couple of, okay. Good evening. My name is Diana. Hold it. May I have your attention? Hold On. I was notified that a couple of students were mistakenly signed up as adults and they did not come forward. Um, Do you have their names? Do you have the names? Do we have the name? Can can we have the names of the students that were signed up for the adult that did not speak as students? Mr. Giron, any of the students that Yeah, I called all the student names, but they signed up on the adult.
They signed up as a parent. Yeah, they signed up for section. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Chair. Okay. Um, are these the students? Okay. Okay. Can you just, um, just let the students come to the mic. Thank you adults for waiting. Say your name please for the record. Kshawna Hayes. Good afternoon, members of the pep. My name is Shawna Hayes and I'm a seventh grader at MS 3 94. It is a little scary to speak to you all, but I wanted to share something really important about my school and what I thought of it. Closing makes me so sad at 1994 isn't just a school to me, it's filled
with so many memories. I remember having my birthday party and going to my fifth grade graduation, even losing my dear assistant principal, Ms. Peters. There have been so many moments like that, big and small that have made me feel like I belong here. And that learning is something exciting. And it's not just memories, it's also about success. I've really grown as a student here. My i-Ready is a grade seven and I'm actually starting to get math. Ooh, that's relief. My teachers and the way they teach us really help me understand things better and feel proud of what I can do.
Now, one of the coolest things about MS 94 is seeing past students come back to volunteer. They tell us about their time here and how much it meant to them. I look forward to being one of those students someday to come back and help out and be part of this community. Even after I graduate, I want to show other kids the same support and encouragement that I receive here. That's why the idea of at 94 closing is so upset. I want other students, the ones who will come after me to have the same amazing experiences that I've had.
I want them to feel the same sense of community and the same opportunities to learn and grow, especially those who might need a little extra help just like I did sometimes. I really hope you'll reconsider the decision to close m ms 3 94 so that other students can have the same wonderful experiences and the same chance to make their own me amazing memories here. Thank you for listening. Thank you. Good morning pet members of the panel. My name is Otis Williams Jr. And I'm 13 years old
and attending the school of MS 3 94, I am here to talk about the, The proposal of our phase out of the, of the school, MSD 94. Tell me which classes you like best. Um, math is good math. Yeah. With my teacher, Ms. Davis. Wow. Okay. She is wonderful. And She are the teachers good? The teachers are good? Yes. Yeah. Great. Well, if you like math, I'm, that's, uh, that wasn't my best subject.
And what would you like, what would you like to see the panel do? Um, not phase us out. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for coming. You can begin. Say your name so I can See. My name is Catherine Paulino. Good evening, pep panel. I'm an alumna of MS 3 94 and I would like to thank you all for providing this open forum for us to voice our concerns. First, I would like to say that Superintendent Lindsay has caused a tremendous damage to our school and to our community
by sending out the false information to the public without knowing the outcome of the situation that we're here to discuss Today, she has put panic into the parents, making them think that their children will not have a school to go back to. In September, superintendent Lindsay has been using dirty tactics to lower the enrollment rate of MS 3 94, such as sending out an email to parents about a proposal that has not been yet approved. It is called the April 13th, 2025 School Utilization Proposal. And it states that our school will be phased out. And in doing so, it scared our parents into relocating their
children and discouraging new parents from following through with the enrollment of their children at MS 3 94. I sincerely believe that it was Superintendent Lindsay's agenda from the beginning to make our school fail one way or another. When I looked up the responsibilities of the superintendent, the one that stood out to me was that a superintendent is the manager or overseer of a particular place or organization such as the school district, and they're responsible for the operations of such. Superintendent Lindsay has demonstrated the opposite, quietly orchestrating our downfall
and sabotaging the growth of MS 3 94. So many people have graduated from this school and have grown to be great people. I'm a social worker who proudly services families, and MS 3 94 played a big part in influencing me to be who I am today. Please don't. Good, Good evening. My name is Diana Lopez and I'm parent. I can't hear you. I'm sorry. I'm closer to the microphone, please. Good evening. My name is Diana Lopez. I'm a parent of fourth grade, um, fourth grade at, um, I'm sorry, fourth grade Gabriel Lopez at
SDLA student. I'm sorry. My Gosh. I'm, I'm a parent. I'm a fourth grade student at SBLA named Gabriel Lopez. I'm so, I'm so grateful for this school that opens up just in time, not only for my son, but for my families, for my family. My son was struggling at the charter school with the reading and writing. He would disconnect low self-esteem, didn't wanna read or, or even start homework. I brought him many books to try to encourage him to read and write and he wouldn't, he wouldn't pay any mind to it.
At, at the charter school. He was just the name, a body to fill the seat being forced to learn by the book. Same pace as the other kids. It took a mom to think it took a, it took a mom from SBLA to think out of the outside the box and take edu education to the next level. Acknowledging that not every kid learns the same, the same pace, the same level, and the same technique. The system is so robotic for centuries. One system for thousands of kids, SBLA has thousands of methods for one kid to ensure that that one kid is actually learning something and growing academically.
I highly recommend SBLA to all families. It's not just the school, it's family. You won't regret it. Um, every, every single staff at SBLA is family. So when they, when our kids get to SBLA, they're, they're at home staff treats them like their own kids. So they're like the second mom, their second dad when they get to SBLA. I need to recognize that. Amazing staff. Miss Pullman, Ms. Naomi, Mr. Tiana, Mr. Charles, Mr. Carlos, um, Mr. C, Ms. Uh, Christina And the rest of, if I forgot your name,
I'm sorry, but the whole, the whole team is amazing and Oh, my time is up. I'm sorry. Thank you. God bless you all. Thank You. Yep. Stay here, stay here. Good evening Panel members. My name is Naomi Pena. I am one of the co-founders of Literacy Academy Collective. I stand before you originally just as a regular parent. My journey in parent leadership started well over 18 years ago when my now s
adult son struggled to read in his classroom. At the time I was told that he just needed an evaluation and there was something wrong. And I will tell you, by the grace of God, I was able to get a diagnosis of dyslexia. And unfortunately, it took lots of me advocating and fighting and being labeled as a overdramatic parent to get what my children needed. Fast forward, I have a total of four children. I have a 19-year-old and, um, 15-year-old twins.
They're all dyslexic. But the truth of the matter is, is that this is deep deeply genetic. Their father is an undiagnosed person with dyslexia. And several decades ago, no one was talking about this either. So I'm coming to you advocating for the creation of CBLA because there was a group of women that stood along, minds alongside of each other, recognized that this needed ha needed to happen, and that our children deserved a chance, deserved a better school setting that exists already in, in private schools.
So when we came to the idea of creating SBLA, we were hoping to reach parents that unfortunately know this story all too well. And when you hear the stories of our children, when you hear the stories of our parents, there is a universal thread that thin that connects us all is that there's this really quiet pain that we all carry when we know that our child is struggling and no one told us the truth and it was blamed on us. And today is a day that we're gonna reckon as a system that we're gonna stop the blame game
and start addressing the needs of these students. Because when one in five is dyslexic, that means that we have a whole class of people who are walking around thinking they're dumb and stupid. And we need to stop this immediately. Thank you. Thank you. You can begin. Okay. Hello. Good evening, members of the pep Thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Jade Barton and I work with Literacy Academy Collective. I actually left working in a school to join this organization. A little bit about my background. I was a special education teacher for middle school students,
specifically focusing on reading and ELA. And in that role I saw often how black children were not getting the services, were not getting the supports that they needed. And oftentimes not because teachers in schools didn't want to do right by children, even though we know there are a lot of systemic, systemic inequities that exist for black kids in the school, but because they didn't have the tools and because they didn't always know. An exciting part of working with Literacy Academy Collective is being with an organization that cares deeply about making sure
that teachers have the training, the ongoing support, and the evidence-based practices to make sure that our black children with learning differences, learning disabilities, speech and language, dyslexia are getting the specialized support that they need that's happening in these high price tag private schools. Black children should not have to leave their communities in their neighborhoods to go to these settings where they might not be fully accepted, where they might not be fully seen, and where they might not be getting that culturally responsive curriculum
that they also deserve to have in front of them. Despite having a learning disability, we are looking to bring in that same quality education to the teachers to know how to best support our students, our kids, and to keep them in the community. I know there's been a large conversation around the relationship piece and as someone that's played a really large role in like developing what this Brooklyn school will look like, there's been so much intentional thinking around what our social emotional learning will look like, how we will create a space for joy,
how it won't only be about making sure that kids leave that school being able to read, but how they're in a school every single day that they love being in that has the arts, that has extracurriculars and sees them not just as another statistic or a student that can't read, but sees them as a full human being with talents and abilities and opportunities that we're looking to pull out despite the differences in learning that they might bring in. So today, I am urging you to please consider and to please approve the opening of CBLA
because we wanna bring something innovative to central Brooklyn that every child deserves despite income level, zip code, or race. Thank you. Begin. Good evening. My name is Petar Jape. I was born and raised in central Brooklyn, and I am one of the few people who understand firsthand the need that our community has for Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy. This is because I'm extremely dyslexic and despite having a family full of educators when I was growing up, it meant
that I didn't get to go to school in my community. But I was one of the lucky ones because my parents were able to hire an advocate for me to attend one of the best language-based learning disability private schools in the country. I had to travel to Manhattan to a school where I worked with some of the best specialists, but for many years I was the only student of color. And in my professional career, I've been in rooms where people have said, had the audacity to say that this type of program wouldn't work for black and brown kids from the hood. I don't have to tell you how disgusting and untrue that is
because SBLA and I are living proof. I went from being a seventh grader who wasn't able to read to someone who graduated undergrad and law school, both Magda Kun la I am now an attorney admitted to practice law in every state and federal court in New York. But I was told statistically I wouldn't even be able to graduate high school, let alone go to college. This wasn't because I wasn't smart, it was because the do e educators in my community weren't trained and weren't supported in ways to teach students like me in the ways that I needed.
I also know firsthand that New York City and New York state now has efforts to improve literacy instruction, but students like me need more than tier one support. We struggle with the written word 24 7 and need instructors who are trained in how to teach the bottom five to 10% of struggling readers regardless of their diagnosis across subject and curriculum throughout the school day. That is what CBLA would be designed to do. So I support the opening of CBLA so that one day I will not be an anomaly.
And given the opportunity, students like me will be the norm. Uh, Good evening. My name is Dolma Spies. I believe I signed up for this portion on accident. I'd like to know if my name could be moved towards, uh, public speaking for later. Yeah, Yeah. What's your name again, sir? Delma Spies. Okay. We'll do that. Okay. We'll move you. Okay. Thank you. Voting, be removed. Uh, the next group of speakers are Paulette tab, Colleen Williams, TA Fullerton,
Bama, Mohamed and Cheryl Prince. Yeah, thank you. I I can't see her. Okay. Leon? Uh, good evening. My name is Paulette tab and I'm here in support of the central Brooklyn Literacy Academy. I worked as an educator at the DOE for almost 40 years. I retired as a literacy coach, so I I know literacy when my daughter was in third grade and she took the reading test. She opened the book and she couldn't read one word.
Her teacher said she cried through the whole test. So I said, okay, I better stop being in denial. I gotta get cracking. And that was the start of the journey. My daughter was in every educational setting that New York City had to offer. She went to a 12 to one to one to ICT class back to a 12 to one, back to general Ed. And I said, no, this is not working. She still couldn't read. So because I had the knowledge
and the wherewithal to navigate the system, I was able to get her into a private school on the east side of Manhattan. But there was a price for that. She had to get up at the crack of dawn, the bust into Manhattan, and she was the only black child on her grade for the whole entire time she was at the school. She went on to college, she graduated, she became an attorney. And not only her, but the kids in her class, they are
occupational therapists, they're landscape architects. One of them wa uh, won a couple of Emmys for Good Morning America. Um, one is a teacher. They went on to be successful. But why should this be only for those kids? Our kids and our neighborhood and our hood deserve the same opportunities. They deserve to be landscape architects and attorneys and teachers just like those kids.
And we have an opportunity here in our hands. Please, I'm begging you. Don't let this opportunity go. We need the central Brooklyn Learning Academy. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Good afternoon, members of the pep. My name is Colleen Williams and I'm a proud former student of MS 3 94. Looking back, I can unequivocally say that this school was not just a place of learning. It was an instrumental in shaping the person I am today. The impact of 3 94 extends far beyond the school walls,
weaving into the fabric of our neighborhood and creating a stronger, more connected environment for everyone. Hearing about the proposed complete phase out of members 3 94 fills me with deep sadness to think that future students will be denying opportunities and the nurturing environment that I and so many others benefited from. Its truly disheartening. Losing this school would undoubtedly leave a significant void in our community. This lead means to critical questions. Why haven't districts facing similar literacy challenges such as district 16, 18,
or 19 right here in New York City, been presented with this model are the struggles with literacy, truly confined district only two, district 17 good practices, effective strategies. These are not exclusive commodities. They are needed everywhere. And sharing this wealth of knowledge and experience seems like a logical and beneficial step for the entire city's educational landscape. The answer shouldn't be dis, shouldn't be to dismantle, but to be replicated and adapt in other locations instead of phasing out.
Why not build upon the strong foundation that already exists within the MS 3 94 community? Invest further empower the dedicated educators who have made it a success and allow us positive influence to spread the superintendent statement that she has done all she can at MG 94 yet is ready. Trying to something new in the literacy school is perplexing. True leadership lies in empowering existing existing success and sharing those triumphs, not abandoning them for the allure of the unknown. Success should be an opportunity for leader to learn, adapt,
adapt, and ultimately do better with the existing framework at 3 94. Please. Members of the pep ent, the phase out of MS 3 94, recognize the profound impact it has and the potential it holds. Thank you. Begin. Good afternoon, members of of the pep. My name is Cheryl Prince and I am a dedicated staff member at MS 3 94. I stand before you today with a heavy heart and deep concern regarding the process surrounding the pur proposed changes at our school. We have learned the charge from the PEP in December
to engage our community to truly listen to the voices of parents, students, and staff. Yet I must express my profound disappointment and frankly alarmed at the action taken by the superintendent that appeared to directly contradict this very principle of the community engagement checks and balances designed to ensure a fair and inclusive process seem to have been disregarded. Furthermore, the recent meeting given
to our school lead leadership team on April 2nd, 2025, provided us with a phase out proposal. Merely 36 hours turnaround is, is not engagement. It is a demand for rush compliance. We have been told that the superintendent Lindsay burned the midnight oil, yet we are denied the opportunity for thoughtful feedback and genuine collaboration. Is this the true meaning of community engagement as envisioned by the pep? A single day is simply insufficient to allow
for meaningful discussion and a considered response from a dedicated SLT and wider community to allow for meaningful participation, not a rushed ultimatum. When will the opportunity arise for us to truly burn the midnight oil together? When will the voices of the MS 3 94 community be genuinely heard and value rather than ly mad managed? The current approach feel like a starkly part from the pep, pep stated commitment to community engagement.
And I urge you to consider the implication of this process on the trust and collaboration that are essential for the success of our students and our schools. Thank you for your time and attention to, to this critical concern. Thank you. Goodnight. Thank you. A little taller. Hello. Good evening everyone. My name is Bessman Mohamed. I'm a parent and, uh, both of my daughters have been attended. Iman now is there into seventh grade. My daughter still is 17 now,
has graduated there four years ago. She's graduating from high school now. I am also a district 75 teacher for the past 18 years. My mother's a retired teacher. I'm saying all that to say that I have a lot of opportunities to put them in different places or choose a different school. I chose 3 94 and gave them my children that they raised, took care of, educated, supported, loved as a choice because I knew the family that was there. Not only the education, but me as a single mother, being able to leave my children in the arms
and the hands of people that I know that care for them as I do. And I'm here to say that it would be, uh, a tragedy to our community because our community surrounded with family. We all, the whole neighborhood is all children, mothers, fathers. So losing this school, we will lose our community and our sense of self. Where our teachers come to our children's birthday parties on weekends, we sit, they take time and they have studied with them. My daughter's come from her grade level of math, from not liking math to loving math
with her teacher doc, uh, Ms. Davis. So this is an every way, extremely important to me. And this is why I'm here. After being at work with my high school students to be here tonight, standing with my children to speak up for this family, this home. Not just a school, but my other home for my children. Thank you. Good evening. Um, first I wanna apologize. I marked the wrong box on the speaker. I'm actually the borough president appointee for the Council for Education for District 17. My name is Tais Fullerton and I am here to strongly support the creation
of the central Brooklyn Literacy Academy. There's a large population of children and students who are struggling to acquire the necessary skills to become successful readers. Some of those reasons will and can be addressed if we dedicate the time and the space to it. CBLA will help level that playing field by affording the struggling population the res, to receive the much needed support that they require to thrive as readers and become productive, strong members of their communities,
to become very strong-minded and dedicated as well as active participants in an ever expanding and competitive job market. Now, I'm not only the borough president appointee, I'm a parent, I'm a community member, I'm a parent leader and I'm an educational advocate. And some of the words that I'm sure we all share in this room are love, dedication, community, and concern. That is what drives me in the work that I do in working a nine to five and then putting in extra hours to come and speak
and be heard on behalf of my community and the students. And I would love to say that we've done something positive for Central Brooklyn that will not only affect the District 17 students, but the larger community. We don't have this kind of facility anywhere in Brooklyn, and like so many parents have said, it is afforded to other populations, we should be on the same level as them. And CBLA will help us head in that direction. So I strongly support it and I hope that you will
Too. Thank you. The next group of speakers are Travis Thornton Giron. Eliza Ellison. Tracy Corbett. Hello. Okay. Wait, wait. Can, can we have everybody's attention? Please? Please come to order so we can hear the speakers. Okay, you can proceed. Hello, my name is Dr. Travis Thornton. Better known to my students is Mr. T. Um, I hope this message finds you well. I just wanna bring a little, um, research aspect to it. Um, according to the Institute for Educational Policy,
schools that undergo phasing out often see a significant decline in student performance as students experience instability and uncertainty during that transition. Uh, furthermore, the Urban Institute reports that students from phased out schools are less likely to enroll at better schools. So the disruption is not just within, um, the academics, but it's really within the family and the entire community. Uh, families in our community will face heartbreaking decisions if the phase out is implemented. They may be forced to separate their siblings as we heard earlier, or
with withdraw their children from a familiar environment, which is not only detrimental for their education, but also for their emotional wellbeing. Uh, one thing that, um, I would like to propose, um, in regards to this phase out, um, there was a school that was closed. You closed the school in District 16, which is our neighboring school. And putting the CBLA there at MS 25 would avoid upsetting our school in Ville. So it makes me wonder, it makes me wonder why that building is sitting empty
and, you know, just another possible solution. Um, so everybody can have a win-win. Thank you so much for your time. Good evening, members of the pep. My name is Tracy Corbett. I am a teacher at MS 3 94. I've been at MS 3 94 for 26 years. I Stand before you today with a profound sense of urgency regarding the proposed phase out of our school. A decision that feels tragically sought shortsighted. I'm reminded of the story of a boy walking along the shore,
desperately throwing stranded starfish back into the ocean. An older man scarf. There are thousands of them. What difference can you possibly make The boy holding up another starfish? This simply reply, it makes a difference to this one. For years at MS 3 94, we have been that boy on the shore fiercely committed to each individual student. We have seen firsthand the transformative power
of early intervention, especially in those crucial kindergarten and first grade years. The very grade slated for elimination in the first phase of this plan by provi, by providing targeted support early, we have been able to pull countless students back from the tide of academic struggle, setting them on a path to success, not just for three years, but for a lifetime.
The proposed phase out is akin to taking away our ability to reach those starfish. It's suggesting that because we can't save every single one immediately, we should simply walk away from the shore. But given the staff at 3 94, the revolutionary training that has been frequently mentioned for the literary re literacy school, sorry, would mean more on the shore saving more students. The logic of phasing out a school,
especially in providing essential early intervention for kindergarten, first and second, is deeply flawed. Instead of shrinking our ca capa instead of shrinking our capacity, we should be expanding it. I implore you, please reconsider this phase out. Invest in building capacity at MS 3 94. Don't take away our ability to make a difference, but just for a few years,
but for generations to come, let us keep throwing starfish back into the ocean together. As my colleague just spoke, we attended the PEP in February where you closed MS 25 and District 16. If this is about giving students well-deserved support of CBLA, it should not matter what district CBLA can replace MS 25. I'm, I hate to do this, but your, your time has expired. No, Which site? Thank you. You may speak Are they speak Okay.
Esteem members of, of the panel of for education policy. My name is Elisa Ellison and I stand before you again today. Not just a PTA president of MS 3 94, but a deeply invested member of a school community that has been facing either the threat of closure and now the threat of phase out. Mm-hmm. Besides me, I stay as my daughter Shawna Hayes and a, a vibrant and resentment student at MS 3 94.
My son Shannon, also walked the halls of this very school thrive within his walls, within its walls and is now doing exceptionally in high school. MS 3 94 is not just a building, it's a part of our family educational journey. MS 3 94 is a social justice school where we don't just teach subjects. We compassionate and gay citizens, we come into the building every single day driven by one powerful force or students, they are heart and soul.
Our work, the reason we pour our energy and dedication into the community. And now this proposal to phase out our school over three years, feel like a profound injustice. A direct assault on our children, the, and their education. But this isn't just numbers. This is social justice issue that will rip apart our community. So let's talk about consequences of this proposal. We are being asked to trade our students, our family, for our unknown face. For students who may or may not show up.
40 families at minimum will be affected by this decision. Parents will be forced to send their children to a different school. Siblings will be separated, and the tight knit community will have built. We dismantle. Look around, look around you. You are a we are a family here. Can you truly qualify for educ quantity? For educate emotional toll? This will take on our children and their families. Furthermore, I must address some in consideracy
that has been circulating about our school. Oh my God. Time is up. Thank you. If, if you needed it, if you needed to, if you needed to finish your sentence, you can, you can do that. Okay. Um, furthermore, I must address some inconsistency that have been circulating about our school. Our students are not failing. And the fact, contrary to the statement made by Superintendent Lindsey, the majority of our students should not be eligible, will not be eligible
for the CBLA because they are in the re to up up rule our students based on misinformation. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening, everyone. Oh, my name is Leon Giron. I am a parent leader in District 17. And for MS 3 94, I want to start off by, um, expanding on what was said earlier about District 16. Um, I urge the panel to take into consideration that a school that you guys have voted
to close in June will be open VA for vacancy. And as we all heard earlier, a member of District 16 advocated for CBLA. I urged the panel to take into consideration that due to that building being vacant come June, wouldn't that be a smoother transition then phasing us out? You're not only phasing out a school, you're phasing out a community, you're phasing out a family.
I also want to address something that occurred yesterday. Superintendent Lindsay came to the school and, excuse me, came to the school and told our principal to keep certain members of our school in check for tonight's hearing. And to you, Ms. Lindsay, I want to say I am not your opposition. I am a young man who's very passionate about advocating for
what I believe in for my community. This flyer here that you referenced is from December. And nowhere on this flyer did we promote disturbing this panel meeting or behaving in any disrespectful way. I want to say, as a father, as a parent, I am embarrassed to have to stand here and help fight to keep my kids in a school that's just more than a school to them. It's home, outside of home. I urge the panel to please reconsider this phase out.
And keep in mind that there is a building in District 16 that's vacant come June, and a member of that district came up here early and stated he advocates for that program. Thank you Mr. Re. Mr. I? No, everybody, I, I think Juan, we remember you from December and your son's, uh, coming to the panel and missing your son's birthday par. Is this your son that you missed the No. December 18th was the exact date. Okay. So I remember, um,
and I don't know what the outcome of the vote is gonna be, but I just want to thank you and the other members of your, uh, leadership team for your leadership. And, uh, no matter what happens, I think it's important that we've got created a, a community leader here. And so I wanna thank you for your advocacy and I wanna thank the other parents who have come out to speak as well. So I appreciate, uh, the work that you've done. Thank you. I want to, I wanna respond to that. I wanna say just Sam here Is that Yes. I wanna say thank you for that acknowledgement. Yeah. And I wanna say in front of everybody in here, this situation has turned me into someone
that I didn't know I was. Yeah. And I vow to be dedicated in doing anything I can possibly here on out to help uplift District 17 rather than tear it down. Thank you. The next speakers are Rosa Polanco, Ebony Benton, and C Sterling. And there are some people who signed up but did not say what they wanted to speak about. Um, I'm gonna, I will call your names names and if you are want to speak about this proposal, um, please make your way down to the microphone. Mackay Semper Virginia Goodwin
and Tanya Rosario. You may start speaking. Good evening panel. My name is Ebony Benson. I'm a mother of four and three of my kids are currently enrolled at PSMS 3 94. I'm sad that I have to come up here and plead with you all to keep the school open. I understand importance, the importance of having more schools available for kids with learning disabilities because I am too a parent of a special needs school child diagnosed with level three autism, but I also feel that isn't fair to uproot our kids Superintendent Lizzie spoke about all the solutions she have if the school was to phase out,
but she didn't mention the mental and emotional effect that this will have on the students and parents. And we all know what's the mental crisis plaguing New York City Currently my kids built many friendships since going to the school. They have also, they also have strong bonds with their teachers. I have two built bonds with the staff inside of the school. If the school was to phase out, my kids would be separated, and I would have four kids in four different schools. When my daughter first enrolled into 3 94, she was struggling. She had a i, she has a IP now and has done a complete 180 with the help of her previous
and current teachers, Ms. James, Ms. Sterling, Ms. St. Louis, and Ms. Brown. And she's also receiving extra help from Ms. Dobbs and Ms. Calendar. She won't be eligible for the new school because her test scores are too high. Now, every day I'm worried about my kids' future. Before I drop my kids to school, I ask them, what's the plan for today? Their response are, be respectful, try our best rule the day and stick together. My kids won't be able to stick together if the school is phased out. My husband works in the Bronx and leaves for work before our kids wake up for school. So I'm solely responsible for making sure our kids are at school on time every day.
Can you imagine getting four kids to four different schools? I don't want to. It's been said it takes a village to raise your child, and the staff at 3 94 is my village. So please take what's being said into consideration. Thank you. Goodnight. She, She needs a translator. Okay. Someone's coming. It's okay. We wanna notice. Um, Rosa, Good evening. My name is Ms. Rosa. I'm here. Um, everything was said before, but all my, um, the colleagues, the teachers, and the students. So I have three kids. One is in kindergarten, um, second grade, third grade.
Uh, there's a foundation started already with my kindergarten. Um, and now going to first grade, there's nothing yet set, but there's a foundation started right now. It's a difficulty. Uh, our parents have done many forces and, um, now that our kids already adapted to this education and changing the situation, and the education might cause the students to have stress, um, meeting new classmates, it will change their environment. Uh, we want more kids to be happy. Uh, MS 3 94 takes all students, not depending on all backgrounds, not, uh,
no certain backgrounds. So the school makes our kids happy. It'll be very sad for our kids, uh, to see if the school gets closed. Hopefully This, uh, decision is positive. And our no closures to the MS 3 94 and for the teachers to continue, um, helping the education of the students. Thank you. Thank You. Thank you. Can we have one of the speaker to my left? You can, you can go. We'll take, we'll go back and forth. Me. Okay. Yeah. Hi, my name is, um, Pleasant Evening everyone. I Would like to Allow my parent over here to go first.
That's, yes. And then I'll go, that's what we're gonna go back and forth. Okay. No problem. Thank you. Oh, you Miguel, please go. Hello, everyone. My name is Christine. I'm a parent of two, well, three children, but two young girls. We just started attending MS 3 94. I'm from Queens. Um, I'm currently in a shelter, and this school is, um, really safe for me and my two young girls.
I wanna shout out Ms. Rosario. This is a three K teacher. My, my youngest daughter is three years old. Um, me, I have a lot of different, um, challenges, but my children in the environment, Ms. Lisa, um, assistant principal, Ms. Brown, oh my goodness, in my fourth grade, my fourth grade, my fourth grade daughter, teacher, Ms. McDowell, they are super, super supportive. Super. Um, my words are not clear all the time,
but my feelings are my feelings. Um, and this lady here is standing by me to support me. So I can say the words that I wanna say about this school. Like I said, I just got here. Um, miss Lisa, the PPTA lady. She is super, she's super genuine. Is that right? Yes. And she supports us. And it would be really sad to see this school close because I just got here. I can't even see myself. Um, we don't wanna go nowhere. We don't wanna go nowhere. I just got here.
My daughter stopped the school. Ryan said, hi, Mariah. Say her. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Speaker on the right, my right. Okay. Back to be clear. Um, pleasant evening everyone. My name is Mrs. Claire Sterling. First I would like to greet the panel and thank you for your impartial intervention thus far. I come to you tonight with concerns regarding this new CBLA school being placed in MS 3 94.
Previously, I asked, where is the data that is being used to reassure the community that this school is needed here? I was told that acas was what was being used to measure the student's growth. Well, yes, Acadian data should is just a screener. It should only be used to, um, it should only be used to assess growth through fluency. ACA is only an intervention method.
So I say this to say, if a student is fluent in reading but lacks comprehension, it makes no sense. Students need to understand what they read in order to perform well on state exam, as well as in their daily lives. Many city schools have fluent readers, but they don't have fluent readers who also understand what they're reading. This shows that we are still not addressing the problem at hand. Currently, there is only one new
SBLA school in the Bronx that has approximately, um, I'm, I'm just saying, um, going on this six to six students or maybe a little bit more. But there is no data to support their claim other than ACA data along with parental testimonials. Additionally, this school has only been in existence about two years. I may be wrong, but we could check that. Why are we creating another school before accumulating more data, which can show concrete
evidence that this school will be a success. In addition, there is a pilot school CBLA two blocks away from MS 3 94. Why not use that school to expand on it? Students are given one minute to test their fluency when taking or administering the test for acas. And this, this does not test for reading comprehension and literacy. So we would need another program to implement
in order to get the literacy portion. Another point I would like to make is for us to be fair to all students and all schools, we should use the same tools to measure students' efficiency across the city. As it stands now, CBLA is using acas while, while other public schools are being judged or measured by their performance on state exam. Again, um, I'm sorry, but your time has expired. Oh. But let me, let me, let me just, um,
if I see you have a, I see you have written test, if you can give that to us so we can actually have the written testimony, um, so that, I know you did a lot of work on that, if you could just, uh, make that available and we'll make sure that the panel, um, uh, gets, uh, has copies of it. Okay. Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Let me start. Okay. Hi. Good evening. I stand before you, not just as a proud teacher at 3 94, but as a mother and as a graduate of New York City Public Schools, I speak to my, not as an employee, but from the perspective of someone who has lived the same struggles our families face.
As a parent of a child who graduate with an IEP diploma, I know what it means to fight for services, to advocate for your child, and to look for stability in the system that doesn't always provide it. That's why this proposal hits so close to home. Disclosure is not just a disruption, it continues the endless loop of injustice that keeps the academic gap wide open. Yeah, Families shouldn't be forced to split the, their, um, their siblings. Parents are afraid and they should be. The idea behind the central Brooklyn Literacy Academy
may be well-intentioned, but our school is improving. Our scores have been going up for the past two years. Why dismantle a school that's growing stronger? Why weren't our students guaranteed seats? Why wasn't another location considered to the PET panel? These are not just numbers. They are children, they're families, they are futures. I urge you to vote no on the closure of our school, but if you vote yes, I challenge you to come back to our school, look at our children in the eyes and explain why you took their school away. Answer their questions, face their tears. See the impact of your decision.
We need to do better for them and for the future they deserve. Thank you. Hello. Good evening. My name is Virginia Goodwin. I've been a part of Crown Heights for 62 years. I have watched MS 3 94 close and reopen and have been a part of that school. And it reopened in 1999. And I'm still a part of MS 3 94, and I brought my community out tonight to help save MS 3 94. And I have a child in Every grade From Pre-K to eighth grade in MS 3 94.
And it has been like that for many years. A lot of parents think I'm security for MS 3 94 because I'm in the school yard and at the stores in the morning encouraging the children not to go into the stores, but go into the building and get your attendance taken, be on time. I had a parent ask me, are you security? No, I'm not security. I'm a parent, a concerned parent that has been a part of this community for 62 years, and I would like to keep MS 3 94 afloat. Thank you, Chair. I believe that is the end of the public comment. Okay, great. Thank you. Uh, members of the public. Um, we'll now throw the floor open to members of the panel
whom might wish to make comments. Brooklyn people Are any panel members who wish to comment? Is your hand up panel member? Sheard? What? Do we have any People first say Brooklyn first One. I'm sorry. I always, I do that regularly. We first go to the, uh, panel members from Brooklyn. So who do we, uh, have first out? I guess we'll start with my Isha. Go ahead. Yeah. Thank you. Um, testing one, two, goodness. Where do I start? Here? I just, I look around visiting both schools, and if I say one thing tonight, it will be
for the parents at 3 94, the powerful parents at that school to meet the parents that came from the Bronx. And I'm a little nervous. I shouldn't be, but I'm gonna say South Bronx Literacy Academy, to stop with the acronyms for a little while because we need to sit in hearing what is being said, central Brooklyn Literacy Academy, south Bronx Literacy Academy.
And I, I would, I visited, we the pep visited the school a few days ago. Um, we spend a lot of time disrupting. We spend a lot of time agitating systemic complacency. And it is important to disrupt some of the things that people can say when they're outside of the community. So we're gonna speak up, and now I'm speaking up.
And I would love the parents from South Bronx Literacy Academy Academy at some point tonight to meet the parents from 3 94. Because the power in the advocacy from both groups is game changing. And when you, when you are from communities, you have to get rid of people in between your community. There's no need for you not to speak directly to each other. So you can have the volume that is required
so you don't have to go through somebody else to find out what is actually happening. It's two very powerful committees, uh, I'm sorry. Um, two very powerful parent communities. And I applaud you both because this work is fierce. And at the end of the day, our children grow up, they grow out of the schools, and we still have to be accountable for our children. So those questions that need to be asked, the ones that are very, very uncomfortable, we don't just say it
for the kids, our children in the school today, we're talking to the child who will be 25 years old, who will be 35 years old, and then we're expecting them to function once they leave that school. It's nobody's problem anymore, but they're still our children. And I would love for you to get together and just have a conversation, because you have to be amongst some of the most powerful advocates that I've had the pleasure of a meeting. So I just wanted to share that with you, to, to, to take a moment to do so. And, and that's all I have to say because this is hard.
Thank you. Panel member. Um, panel member. Casa, did you wanna comment? Thank you so much. Um, so thank you to all of the students and staff who spoke so eloquently at MS 3 94, um, about your school. This is a very emotional, uh, situation for the students, the families, the teachers and staff. And even for us. Um, back in December, the decision to close MS 3 94 was not an easy one. So I'm glad that we took, um, a number of additional months
and took a pause to speak with the community, um, allow them to create a new proposal. The CEC and superintendent have been having ongoing conversations, and the problem is the rapidly declining enrollment and the lack for real opportunities for children who deserve a lot more. Um, I've attended a number of the meetings and delved deep into the data. Took a hard look at the outcomes
and the academic performance. Um, for some who spoke today, you all seem very brilliant. Um, but, but that's not across the whole entire school and the, the declining performance. Um, even though there's been repeated and sustained interventions, like many, many district resources, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional funding that had to be given
because of, um, the state flagging your school as low achieving. So there's, there's so many more resources that your school is getting that other schools in your district are not. Um, Most are struggling with reading and math according to the data that we saw. And when children don't have a strong foundation in math, those struggles can snowball because math builds on itself. Um, when you do well in algebra, like students need
to understand things like multiplication and fractions. And if they're missing those basic lessons early on, it's really hard to ke keep up later. And the same goes for reading. So children who are having trouble sounding out words who lack vocabulary or don't read fluently, often fall behind, not just in reading, but in other subjects like science and social studies that requires strong reading skills. Um, this can hurt their confidence and motivation, making it even harder to catch up. And over time, it leads to ongoing academic challenges
and, um, like a, a distancing physically and emotionally. And because MS 3 94 has faced these persistent challenges for many years, uh, it's restricting students' access to a, a truly high quality education. The state and district are now obligated to intervene. Um, the district superintendent's team has provided a lot of supports over the last years social emotional learning support, professional development, um, provided to teachers on classroom management
support from the district on student attendance, and a New York state funded coach to support teachers. Um, professional development and coaching on improving relationships with families and community members. Ongoing support visits from superintendent and team along with our feedback and supports with planning to increase enrollment and improved school branding. Um, but but your enrollment is not growing. It's actually continued to decline. Okay. Can I, okay.
Panel, uh, audience, this allowed a panel members to complete their statement. I mean, I know it's very challenging. It's a challenging situation to be in. And, um, you know, part of the, part of the thought between phasing out the elementary and middle school, separate and independent from one another was so that the students can stay together. Um, I know a lot of you are at the public hearing. I was there too. Um, 72 people showed up to the joint public hearing, and eight of them were PEP members.
We were present. There was a representative from the Brooklyn Borough President's office. Um, we've all tried to make ourselves accessible and share the same concerns and wanna see the support for the students the same as you do. Um, What's most important as the, the children are set up for success and Superintendent Liz has made a lot of promises to ensure that every one of our educators are gonna be, um, relocated either in the district
or a district of their choosing. And I, I really think that, I feel confident that all of our adults and our students will land on their feet and have a lot better opportunities afforded to them if we do go ahead with this phase out. Um, as far as CBLA is concerned, i, I, I think it needs to be mentioned that literacy is really a civil right are, unequal education system has historically disenfranchised, marginalized communities.
Without literacy, people cannot exercise their full rights as citizens. The ability to read, write, and effectively use language is not just a personal skill or an education goal. It's a fundamental human right that our children are entitled to. And the central Brooklyn Literacy Academy would bring to District 17 and surrounding districts a much needed model that has already made a difference in the lives of Bronx children. Um, this is a critical part of a citywide strategy that provides appropriate levels
of individualized intervention for every student. And we are lucky enough to be offered the same opportunity here in central Brooklyn that, um, they have in the Bronx. This school is truly a dream come true, and I wish that we could open more of them here because there is a demand, and we know there's a real need. So, should this proposal pass, CBLA would open as Brooklyn's first school specifically designed to serve students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences.
Um, Maisha, did you wanna say something First off? Okay. So just has you completed your statement? So I, I just wanna say that we appreciate the vision and leadership, um, of the district and supporting the children and the extension of care and concern, um, for the children in the surrounding areas with the idea of opening the Central Bronx Literacy Academy. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Um, panel member,
um, Ellis, I know you're new. Would you like to make a comment? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Brooklyn, I'm sorry. I mean, I know you're new. You want, okay. So you can pass if you wish. Okay. So this is, uh, this is a very, uh, heartbreaking situation, um, where you see that a community so strong that has been demonstrated by the people of, uh, MSK 2094
adults and children. Um, but in the meantime, you see that the necessity for a center for dyslexia. And this is what is going, uh, the potential for the creation of the center in Brooklyn. And we need it personally. I'm the mother of a, of a child who has not been diagnosed for dyslexia and had to struggle all her life all through college. And we are still suffering from consequences of non diagnosed and non-treated
and not properly, uh, taking care of dyslexia situation. I, uh, it's a very difficult, very difficult situation. But the necessity for a center that will treat dyslexia for all children in Brooklyn is immense. And it's, uh, very important. And I, I, I hope that there will be more centers like this, um, throughout the city.
Okay. Thank you. Uh, panel member. Are there any of the Brooklyn panel members? Brooklyn panel members? Yes. Panel member Garcia. Good evening. I want to thank, everyone's been thanking, but I'm going to thank the parents, all of you for being here. It's late. I know you have your children. And those of us who've worked in schools have been principals and guidance counselors and aps and teachers from the gifted to the channel, channel channel channeling children, students,
it is very hard to see your hard work if you think it's going down the drain. It is not parents. You have taught your students, your children, teachers, administrators, our students, we work together to try to make things better. But sometimes things aren't better. They don't get better. We have to keep on pushing for them to be better. I'm sorry. The gentleman that was here left early with his two sons,
because he mentioned a relationship. And those of us who've worked with all types of children, from children with special needs to, like I said, the gifted, everybody on this panel have different experiences. I know mine and I know that those of us who make a relationship, a community, no matter where your children go, have to attend, have to change schools. It is up to the teachers. It is up to the climate of any school to make sure
that they start, begin, continue a relationship. Because many times you may have to leave. We may have to vote a certain way because of quote unquote statistics, because dwindling enrollment, you may not wanna hear it. It's difficult for many of us to even vote on something like this. But believe me, a community can still be had wherever your children may go. But I really want to tell you parents
and administrative teachers, superintendent, that you are really a blessed group because you have spoken and showed us that you really know what school should be. Thank you. Thank you. Panel member. Um, any other Brooklyn? Yes. Uh, panel member Almond Brooklyn. I, and I just wanna echo Queens. Oh, you're Queen. Oh, I, I'm sorry. No, Brooklyn. Did we cover everybody? Brooklyn. Okay. I'm sorry. The panel member Shepherd. Thank you. Chair Faulkner. Um, so I too want to, um,
thank the community for their input on this proposal, especially our students. I totally understand the sentiment that schools are more than buildings, um, that they represent like our communities. They rep and they represent the communities that they live in. Um, that said, the, the inconvenient truth here is that 3 94 has lost 40% of its students in five years. And as such, the school is unsustainable. Now, I'm not saying that as any kind of indictment,
but what I am saying, because we've seen the same thing play out in the Bronx where I'm from, where schools get to a point where they just are not sustainable. And it is an awful feeling. And I can tell you, having sat here for five years and having gone through this more than once, it is awful when you know that schools in your communities don't have the resources they need to function in a way that serves our students well. So, back in December, I remember,
um, members of this panel, myself included, um, asking for the DOE to engage with the 3 94 community. I will say that this modified proposal to phase out 3 94 instead of closing it at the end of the school year, while not easy, is a fair proposal. It allows for 3 94 to wind down with a degree of dignity that hasn't been afforded to a lot of schools. I pay very, I pay very close attention to the students
as they all read their type speeches off of paper or on their phones or tablets. And I know how difficult public speaking can be. I will say that if we are not paying attention, it is easy to overlook the particular challenges that students face when they're up here speaking. Someone said in the comments tonight that there is no data to support the SBLA works. And I will respectfully submit
that when our first speakers were SBLA students with dyslexia who read their statements, I think that serves as very good data to me, I think, or I believe that President Kendall summed it up the best when we know what the outcomes are when we do nothing to support student. When we do nothing to support people, human beings who are dealing with dyslexia. And to be clear, dyslexia is a, it, it's, it's in the brain.
It is physical. It is not something that we can just apply the same curriculum and the same standard of teaching to when we know what the outcomes are. When we do nothing to support our students and our PE and, and, and people with dyslexia. We do set them up for a lifetime of failure. So I know the hard work that the South Bronx Literacy Academy is doing, we have seen with our own eyes here tonight, what those outcomes are.
And I will just say that, um, I do agree with panel member sap, that we do need to, um, connect with each other, that the, um, the, the South Bronx Literacy Academy and the 3 94 community really do need to meet with each other and support each other. And, um, I think we'll be okay. Um, so that's what I wanted
to contribute to this conversation. Thank you. Okay. Thank you panel member. Any other panel members? Panel member, um, Alman, Thank you for, thank you for allowing to speak. I'm gonna be brief. I share the sentiments of my fellow panel members. I just wanna reiterate, 'cause you know, district 16 keeps bringing up a lot. When we call, when we had approved that proposal, it was with the understanding that the District 16 community is going to decide what's going to go in there. I applaud parent engagement and they're gonna, and the, the entire, uh, community is gonna have a say in, in that.
And the building is not building 'cause there's another school in that building. So it's not empty. But I applaud that engagement. And then I'm gonna go back to Member Garcia. We make the communities that we are in, and I hope that New York City public schools and dear, we make sure that if this proposal, um, passes both proposal passes to ensure that 3 9 4 scholars are placed in schools that are conducive for their learning and enrichment activity. But it also goes for the staff as well.
You want them place, if we're putting them in other schools, they should be contributing and their skills in a fair, equitable manner that will enhance that school and enhance, enhance the scholars that attend that school. So the process should be fair, equitable, and, um, transparent. Thank you. Thank you. You have Thank you Chair. Um, I also first want to recognize the incredible students and community members who came here in such large numbers to advocate on behalf of, uh,
PSM PSMs 3 94. I also wanna recognize that the work of the South Bronx Literacy Academy, um, in introducing structured literacy and evidence-based instructions to students with dyslexia and other reading challenges, will undoubtedly help many students in central Brooklyn. What I do wanna talk about tonight is the fraught closure of PSM S3 94, or the proposed closure, which speaks to dysfunction in how these utilization decisions
progress as the comptroller and our amazing partner, New York Appleseed wrote in a report that we published last spring on intentional inclusive school mergers. The A one 90 process is really insufficient to meet the needs of school communities facing mergers and closures. Formal community engagement should begin at the very start when consideration of these changes begin, not at the end of the process with the joint public hearing.
Some of the report recommendations we mentioned was that DOE facilitate an internal school utilization working group responsible for developing a new citywide merger and closure process that prioritizes equity and excellence that breaks down communication and work stream silos between departments of DOE and engages school communities. Early in the process, we'd like to see compliance with local law 2 25 of 2019,
which required every district to establish a diversity working group. By the end of 2024, these groups should be deployed to initiate school utilization conversations, providing a responsive and stable community voice with which DOE leadership could directly engage. We also recommended that doe's family and community Engagement Department provide and incentivize staff and faculty with community building opportunities? Well in advance of decisions like mergers or closures.
Schools must involve students and families in the planning process, clearly communicating school objectives and prioritizing transparency. Students and families must receive ongoing support from school and district leadership through the provision of spaces to engage in courageous conversations. The process we saw play out here is not only bad for students and bad for families, it's honestly bad for the DOE. It shouldn't work this way. A one 90 really needs a closer look. Thank you. Thank you. And, um, j just as a comment, um,
that is one of the reasons we, the panel created the, uh, school utilization committee. Um, because we are involved in that process, we did send a letter outlining some of the very same recommendations. Um, and to take it a step further, 'cause I think that it is important to have parent engagement, one of the parents from 3 94 has actually been appointed to our engagement committee. Um, you know, uh, to Leon Giron is serving on our engagement committee because one of the things we agree is that there were some missteps. And I think one of the, I I think essentially we can credit
the parents at 3 94 for having us take a look at the way that we would do this process. And if it wasn't for the work and the comments and the work that, um, that came from 3 94, um, some of the things that we are gonna be doing in terms of improving the process, um, we've met with the office of, of, uh, school utilization to talk about specifically how we can improve this process. And one of the things we said is we need to do this at the very beginning, not just a few months before, but, um, maybe create something called an early alert list when a school is in danger, that we begin these conversations early in the process.
So, um, um, we're excited about that. And, uh, that's been a great in outcome of this process. And that's an outcome that's a result of the advocacy. Um, uh, PS 3 94, and I, and I should publicly thank, uh, Leon Gira for accepting the challenge because I called him and I said, you know, no one, there's no one better than you to really be there to guide us in how we do parent engagement. And I wanna thank him for accepting that responsibility publicly. Are, are there any other comments? Yes, panel, uh, vice chair Green. Good evening, everyone. Um, I'd like to first say that,
uh, I'm, I was so proud of the school community, 3 94. Um, the way that the community came out was amazing, the way that the students came out and spoke so well, the parents came out and spoke so well. The teachers spoke so well tonight, and it, and it's really uplifting to hear, so we did visit the school. Some of us visited the school, and we, we really fell in love with, you know, of course, the children. But, but what was going on in that building? So I just want everyone to understand that, you know, we,
uh, we as a panel, we worked hard with how we wanted to engage this community. And we want all of you to know and explain to young people, because sometimes children get things a little confused. But at the end of the school year, no matter how this vote goes, no matter how this vote goes at the end of the school year, children will not be moved out of this school this year. We wanted to make sure that that did not happen. We agree that, you know, the, the, the process must be a little more transparent. Um, but most importantly, we wanna, we wanna make sure
that all the children are in a safe and inclusive place. So what, however our vote goes tonight, I want all of you to understand it might be not what you want it to be, and it might be what you want it to be. But regardless of what that is, we're going to make sure that we continue to work with you, whichever side of this auditorium, because I see that it's split whatever side of the auditorium it is, we're gonna continue to work with the, the whole contingency of people
who wanna make sure that education is key. Thank You. Thank you. Vice chair. Are there any, I see, yes. Good evening everyone. I'd like to, um, just, uh, praise our teachers and our parents for having our children present tonight. They did an excellent, excellent job. And I also have heard some powerful tools tonight as being an, uh, classroom teacher, a literacy coach, and assistant principal, and a former principal. These are some powerful tools I heard tonight.
I heard teacher training. I heard science of reading. I heard research-based practices. I heard targeted, enhanced literacy. Reading was a rebellious act for us at one time, right? We need to ensure that we are using those tools. When it, however this lands tonight, let's be sure that we use those tools intentionally with intentionality to ensure that our children are reading. Thank you parents, children, continue to fight for what you believe in. This is your early advocacy training. You did an excellent job tonight. Thank
You, Pam. But great. Absolutely true panel member. Fair. Good evening. Can you hear me? Yes. Okay. Good evening, parents, school leadership and staff. I wanna take a moment to acknowledge the principal of the school. 3 94. I know we talked a lot about the parents and the community, but I wanna acknowledge you as the principal as well, because I know that this, the leadership that you have, the teachers, the students, the parent community is a reflection of your leadership. So I wanna make sure that you're seen as well. Um, I really wanna thank all the parents and everyone here for their commitment. 'cause many of us are having,
we have parent our kids in school right now. I have a 17-year-old. And just like you, I was on the other side fighting and arguing with my school leadership back in the day. And that's how I made it here, because I too was a loud mouth. And I like to disrupt the system and shake the tree. So I totally understand your perspective. So keep doing what you're doing. It's just about doing it in a way where it's respectful, but there's still a way to, to be heard and get your voice heard. And I know that it's not easy for the black and brown community. Hello. I'm a black woman, so I understand. And I, I identify and I know that.
So it's really important for you guys to even trust us to understand that we're in the same situation with all of you. And this really is a hard decision. But again, we want you to know that you've heard, you have been heard, and we value everything that you've shared with us and the time and the consideration, and we don't take it for granted. And then lastly, our great colleague, Dan, I just wanna invite you, if you could just provide clarity in response to the parents, just to ensure they get that. 'cause I know that we were working on be better at transparency on the D 16 situation. Thank you. Uh, testing one, two, testing.
Okay, here we go. Uh, thank, thank you. Lum affair. Yeah. So, um, some of it was, was mentioned and, and, uh, uh, first of all, I want to thank all the parents who came out on all the students and wanna add my, my, uh, uh, gratitude to everybody else here. Um, and just say, preface my quick remarks by saying that the, the chancellor and I have spent several hours at, uh, 3 94, and we, uh, were impressed by an environment that it was, uh, full of safety and love for the kids. So I want to give great respect to, to the, to that school,
um, the, uh, D 16, yeah, that, uh, absolutely correct that, uh, the panel did vote to, uh, with the support of the CCC to, to close PS 25, which was a very honor roll school. Um, also, also is true that, uh, the community asked for a significant engagement, community driven engagement process, specifically about what school, what institution or institutions would go into that space. And that's something that, uh, we were very supportive of.
Um, I would also just say a couple of things. Um, the, you know, one, many, many factors go into, go into these decisions, which are all very, very difficult. One of which we, we all probably appreciate as New Yorkers location. And so, you know, as we look at the student population, um, that, uh, can be served, uh, assuming a panel approves the proposal by, uh, central Brooklyn Literacy Academy, um, 3 94 is, is is a more central location, uh, than 25 would be. Uh, so that's just one. That's one thing.
But the main, the main thing is we, we certainly wouldn't support short circuiting that community engagement process for D 16. Um, and are, you know, very pleased. I think we heard from President McClain when he spoke earlier tonight. Um, very, very important part of this proposal that, uh, not only is there preference specifically for students from 3 94, also for District 17, but for the surrounding districts, including district, uh, 16. So if there's a student who would benefit from Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy
from 16, they will have access to be able to apply and to be ahead of other districts in the borough. That's true for 32, that's true for 23 in Brownsville as well. So that, that is, that is the model. And I'll just just say panel member one thing. This is consistent. This is the strategy. Uh, Dr. Rux talked about this same sort of preference for traditionally underserved neighborhoods that we're doing with Bard Bronx, with Bard Brooklyn, with, uh, soon to be HBCU Prep in Southeast Queens.
And this is the same, same approach we're taking here. Uh, so I don't know what, what the outcome and the process community engagement process will be for PS 25, but, you know, our job will be to try to support that community in whatever they think the greatest need is for that particular location. Okay. Thank you, deputy Chancellor. Um, are there any additional questions? I think we are now ready then for the vote. Let's, uh, so Terry Nathan, would you call the roll? There are no recusals on this resolution. Uh, when I call your name, please indicate how you wish to vote. Member Ali, uh, can you please come back to me? Sure.
Uh, member Ali? Yes. Member bin? Yes. Member Casre. Yes. Member Dean Stag? Yes. Member Beek Ellis? Yes. Member Fair? Yes. Member Garcia? Yes. Member Giardano. Yes. Vice Chair Green? Yes. Member Ho. Yes. Member Esto. Yes. Member Mira May. Yes. Member Awin? Yes.
Member Ong. Yes. Member Sap. Yes. Member Shepherd. Yes. Member Ang. And, uh, I have to go back to Member Ali. Yes. And Chair Faulkner Abstain. Um, so the motion carries, um, that's 18 in favor and one abstention. The resolution passes. Let me, let me just say to, uh, you know, the parents at 3 94, that this, you know, I know that there's gonna be, you know, some disappointment, but as has been said, um, we hope
that you'll understand that, you know, this was a difficult decision for many of the panel members. And, uh, although you're, you may leave with some disappointment, um, you know, we, we've made, the department has made certain commitments, um, to ease the transition and to make sure that it works for the children. And we're gonna follow up and make sure that those things, those commitments actually happen. Um, some of the changes that took place that have actually improved this proposal, because the reading program, the Bronx Literacy Academy, is a great program. We had a chance to visit,
and I saw firsthand there were some amazing things happening, um, within that, um, group. So the positive is we're gonna expand that. Um, there's some amazing work happening at the Bronx, uh, literacy Academy that we had the opportunity to see. Um, so I just want to, uh, thank again the parents at 3 94. Thank you for your advocacy and that you were heard. And, and a lot of the cha this, you know, for the panels to have taken that, you know, pulling it from the agenda in December and recreating the program was a significant accomplishment that took place because of you. It was because of your advocacy that the program
that was originally presented, what we're what was voted on today is better. My sense is that two things can be right. The, the, the Literacy Academy is a great program. Um, I just feel that it might be in the wrong school and that 3 94 was not the right school for it. But, um, you know, I think it's important that we take the words at Panama Garcia, we move forward and, uh, you know, um, and we're gonna be here and we'll be with you, and making sure that that transition takes place and it takes place in an appropriate way. So again, thank you for your coming out
and for your advocacy. Advocacy. Did you wanna comment quickly? Um, just quick comment. Um, we see You. Okay. Hold, hold it, hold it. I think people, okay. Yep. Um, this, this should not be about, um, this versus that. The reality is this type of education belongs in all of the schools because everyone does not learn the same. I don't. And, and so it becomes an equity thing, right? And so, again, behind the scenes that work has to be done
with challenging status quo. And understanding that even on this panel, we don't show up the same. And that some of us live in the communities in which we serve. So we are gonna come to and, and, uh, contribute in different ways. Although everyone needs to be heard. We, we, some of us are a part of these black and brown communities that have historically been disenfranchised. So we just have to, you know, just understand that we are showing up differently.
And, and that's all I wanna say. Thank you. I, I am, um, let's move on to the next item on the agenda, which is consideration of contracts. Um, I'll ask secretary, uh, Nathan to please represent the resolution to the panel. The resolution up for approval is entitled Resolution to enter into Contract Agreements. Wait till people leave. Yeah, some people leave. And so why don't we, I'll take, let people leave and then we can present the resolution. Yeah, go ahead. Sheriff bark? Yes. Do you mind if we just have like, maybe a five minute recess to allow folks an opportunity to Okay.
With, with the panel? Is there objection to a five minute recess. So we will reconvene at 9 38. Yeah. Right? Yeah. There's been so many things that's held us down, but now it looks like things are finally coming around. I know we've got a long, long way to go and where will I know? But back, we are putting ourselves together. We are polishing up our, if we come down before I know you refuse to be held down.
I know someone that has a negative vibe, and if you are trying to make it the only put suicide they don't have, ask them where they're going. Us back show together. If you Lady love, your love is peaceful like a summer spring. My lady love with love, that's tender as a baby. Such you give me all of things that I need so much. You my world love,
mindly love, that's a fire. And I keep on eating you a little more. And I thank you my lady. You know, it's not easy. And they, I wanna, You got the love. I need that. I want to see you. Heaven. You down my lady? Okay. Panel members, if you're in the audience, could you please rejoin us on the stage? Okay. I think it's this way. It's, it's starts where we had our lunch. It's out. Yeah, it's Noah.
But I would, I think this is what we had lunch. Yeah. You think it's still recreation time? You know, because people don't, um, you know, unless you're gonna lecture us, can panel members please return to this stage? Thank you. Huh? What? I know. I think like that was, and it was long. It was, I think, yeah, they, yeah, that was just, it was like, don't, don't, don't do it. We don't need, we didn't need to do it. Yeah. Yes. I still, yeah. Does he say ly? He's okay.
He, they, they, I had leave, uh, we just on a second. Uh, this is, this speakers on contracts. Oh, good. That's good news. Okay. I don't understand what happened here. I swear, I think I lost mine. Oh, good, good. Any food left? I swear I just lost my check. Any food left? No. No. Don't, don't do that. You don't have to do that. Oh, don't water. Yeah. No idea. What I I have two chat going, Shauna.
That was really weird. We people get back on stage. What happened dating was April 5th, which I was alone. I was away. I was away. I was in Greece. Where was he? Oh, no, no, no. I was away this year. Oh, no, no. I was, he was in the hospital. It was like, it was covid. His body fought for a year, but it just, there's A-P-S-A-O resolution to make up at the end of the meeting. Yes. Okay. Got it. Thank you. I work on p stuff. Well, one, it has, it's, it's, it's not even accurate,
but I, I had to shut my mouth. It's just so, no, But, but the other part of it is it talks about suing DOEI mean, like, she's endorsing a lawsuit. She's a lawsuit. Which it's also just not even, it's just, I wor I had to get my mouth out when I read it because I worked on the litigation. Yeah. I read it and I said, we can't support this. All right. We need to get everybody back. Do we have a room? Sit down, Cindy. Oh, yeah. But she think that's in the briefing. It'll, This is the problem is you take a break and it takes 20 minutes. She's gonna, People gonna change their Hopes.
Are You hearing things? No, guys. Yeah, I know. Are we missing? Yeah, we're missing. We can get everybody back. Get everybody. Yeah. Tell them to sit down. I can yell, but they Okay, everybody, let's, let's, Can the members take their seats so we can Yeah, we wanna we gotta reconvene. We just like, Should have made the break in house, but people have to go the bathroom and we're gonna be here long, so Well, no, No. Maybe not long. You don't have to have any speakers talking up. Yeah. Um, okay. Three on the, just on the scanning.
That's it. Yeah. And then four on here. Better? Yeah. I'll keep them. Yeah. Not that I, Yeah, but they're, but they're yelling. They're, uh, by the Time we get people comment, we have 18 people. But it'll, it'll show. Yeah. And a lot of people left so that You're right. You're actually right. Oh, the resolution. I don't sign up. Yeah. But that, that's gonna be quick. They'll, she'll do a presentation. We, nobody's gonna talk and they'll just vote One person. Yeah. Yeah. Snow too. I guess I should do some. Yeah. Um, We have is on the before.
And your sweater, Jack. Yeah. Look, you gotta turn this around like this. It's really long. So what am I supposed to do? You're supposed to tie it up. Look, lemme show you. Can I, can I hear? Can I do like this? Can I like this? I know. I think that's a very cultural It is. Because I remember when my mom was, she passed away. Well, the age, they were black. It's cultural. It's cultural. She makes me do that. And I said, man, please. Oh, wise tale. Oh crap. She also helped. She helped. Yeah.
I thought that was nice. She messed it up. She's so glad it, yeah. Yeah. I spoke to and I said, look, you talk, we're gonna make this work. I said it was hard, basically crying. Yeah, I know. I know. That's not involved. They are. Because they were already crying. They were crying already. Yep. So, uh, why don't we reconvene? Um, I hope you all had a nice break. Um, and, uh, the next item on the agenda was the consideration of contracts. And, uh, I'll ask Secretary Nathan
to please read the resolution. The resolution up for approval is entitled Resolution to Enter into Contract Agreements. Is there a motion to, um, consider a resolution? Is there a second? I second. Okay. Uh, it's been moved and seconded. Do we have any speakers? Uh, Uh yes. There are three speakers who have signed up to speak, uh, Johanna, Borkin, Bama, Mohammad, and, sorry. Find it. And, um, Delma Spies. You can begin speaking. Just
introduce yourself for the record, please. Hi, my name is Johanna Bjork, and I am a parent in this district. I live around the corner, um, actually, um, and I'm, I'd like to, I cannot see a resolution or a contract coming up involving scanners and not speak. Um, my child attended a middle school that shared, was in a shared building with high schools. And so we had a scanner and it was a big topic of concern. Um, and one of the things that came up repeatedly was how racist they are.
And honestly, until there is a scanner in every single school, there shouldn't be a scanner in any school. Um, we can't, we're criminalizing our children. We're sending messages about which children we think are need, are threats are likely to be threats. Um, I saw the racism firsthand at work where the screen school in my child's building was perceived as being like, those kids are not the reason the scanner is here. And that's a really insidious message. We need to, if we're concerned about safety in schools,
we need to really invest in the root causes. Why don't we have more social workers, more guidance counselors? Let's look at that. Instead of turning our schools into fortresses, where we have children who are black and brown being treated as criminals, be because they brought a glue gun to school because they brought a hair pick to school. We had children whose knives, who they brought because of re they were reusable for their lunches. Having those be confiscated. And when we asked for data, because it was always like, oh, we're confiscating all of these dangerous objects.
We could never get any answers whatsoever. We can't just continue to blindly approve these kinds of contracts and these, this kind of scanning and this kind of assuming that our children are criminals, um, without really some deep, deep work. And this is not what, in my opinion, this is not where our money should go. We have many, many other priorities for our kids, not hardening and turning our our schools into fortresses. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening. I seem to have signed up for this, um, mistakenly I would just like to speak, um, uh, for the public speaking section if I
Could. Okay, sure. Thank you. Ready? I, yeah, that is it. So that, that concludes the public comment period. Uh, we'll now open the floor to panel members who wish to comment your panel member. Alban. I wasn't gonna speak, but, um, you know, I understand and I agree with certain some points, but this contract is specifically is to replace the ones that was in existence that's broken down. It's not new scanners for new schools,
it's not increasing the number. It's just, it's like, uh, replacing those are not functional. And also that community youth, the schools are, have that autonomy to request scanners for their schools. So that is a engagement for each school. And I understand both sides, um, of the issue. But unfortunately, the, the where the world, where will the world is right now, we go to ball games and we getting scared. We are going to sporting events, we go traveling, we are getting scanned
and all these other places, this is the world we live in and whether it's right or not, but it's a deterrent that for, to decrease the amount of weapons coming into our schools and certain schools, it's prone more to for weapons, you know, and it won't, I'm gonna stop right there, but I just wanted to make sure that it's clear that the contract is replacing broken scanners is not new. Not new. Yeah. Thank you for that clarification. Panama Albin. Um, I think it's also just we noted that, um,
sometimes our schools, people from the general public, not just students come into the building and we wanna make sure that people who come into the building, um, based on the times we live in, are also, um, not prosing a threat to our children. It's not just, uh, you know, that we're scanning the kids with scanning people who visit the building. There may be vendors, there may be the outsiders, there may be people who seek access. And we wanted to make sure that those folks coming into the building are also safe, uh, that they're not a risk to our kids. Are there any other panel members, Mr. Panel Shepherd? Thank you. Chair Faulkner. Um, it is no big secret.
Um, my position on scanners in our schools, I have always been opposed to it. I believe that, um, it does send a message, um, that some students, um, are worthy of more and some students need to be, uh, scanned and wounded and all those things. Uh, so it is no secret how, uh, what my position is. Um, that said, I look at this particular contract
and the fact that, uh, this contract was done by emergency declaration, and I think that raises a whole different set of issues for me. Um, it is my understanding, uh, that replacing these scanners, no matter how I feel about them, um, could have been covered, uh, you know, as part of an existing contract that we already have. Um, I also feel that the, the, the scanners in question that we are talking about, um, we are investing $384,937
and 50 cents in disposable hardware. Um, this hardware is designed to work for a certain amount of time, then it stops working and we replace it again. And, um, that to me does not seem, uh, like an efficient use of our funds. Um, I would also add that, you know, in our, our briefings, et cetera, this was framed as very important. And while I would not
push back against very important, I think there's a distinction to be made between very important and emergency. Um, I have always seen emergency, like, you know, a building collapsed or a building just flooded and we need to do things now. Um, because, you know, we don't have an existing contract that covers the particular calamity that we are dealing with in the moment. And this to me, is not one of those things. I think if we had paid attention to the
life cycles of our existing scanners, um, you know, as someone who served in the military and knows, um, that, uh, what preventative maintenance schedules look like and what estimating and calculating, uh, duty cycles and life cycles for equipment looks like, we could have very easily determined how long these scanners were expected to, um, be functional before they needed to be replaced and could have planned for that in advance, um, through an existing contract that, uh, we already have.
So because of that, um, I fully intend to vote no on this contract. And I will just add, um, as our, um, uh, uh, audience member, uh, our speaker has said that we do need to invest more into the root causes of the issues we have, right? Like, we need to invest in safe corridors so that, um, students don't get caught with weapons coming into school when you know they have those weapons, you know, out of fear
of what getting to and from school looks like. I think that we need to invest more in the social and emotional wellbeing of our students. I think we need to invest more, uh, in the types of programming that allows them to feel, um, a part of, instead of, apart from. And if we can do those things, uh, you know, the need for, uh, scanners would be unnecessary. And I think the last thing I would like to add is when I look historically, um, you know, at at violence in schools,
those things do not happen in New York City. Like they happen in other places. If I'm gonna call a thing a thing, I'm gonna do it. And, you know, the reality is, you know, folks ain't coming into our schools and shooting the place up. So if they not doing that, then you know, I am totally uncomfortable with setting our schools up like that is a, uh, in fact, a reality when it might be a reality in other places, but it is not a reality here. Thank you Chair Walker, and I thank you panel member. Um, are there any other panel members? Thank Chair. Um, I first want to uplift
what panel members Shepherd said about the need for investments in things like social emotional supports and safe corridors restorative justice programs, as an alternative means of, um, addressing the root cause of many of these problems. Um, but right now I wanna focus on the contract itself. Um, first the comptroller would really like to recognize the due diligence that DOE has conducted on this contract since our office first raised concerns about it in the
contracts briefing on April 15th and in, um, subsequent meetings, um, the comptroller was put on this panel not all that long ago for this very reason, actually, to help evaluate contracts and flag concerns for PEP members, and sometimes even for DOE, um, to address. Our office remains dedicated to ensuring that taxpayer money is not wasted during the course of the procurement process, and that it is spent effectively and efficiently and equitably.
As Panel member Shepherd alluded to, DOE should have been able to pursue other procurement options this past December that would have potentially cost less and eliminated the need for an emergency declaration and an emergency contract. And given PPP rules on emergency contracts, those are the rules that govern, um, doe's procurement process and the reality that the scanners were all delivered and installed this past week. Unfortunately, the vote tonight at PEP has very little significance, But I'd like to conclude
by saying that this whole episode regarding this contract really demonstrates the great importance of the oversight role that the PEP plays on doe's procurement process and the comptroller's office as well. Thank you. Thank you. Other panel members? Uh, uh, you wanna comment? Yeah, well, was related to if you wanted to comment related to the last comment. Thank, thank you Chair, and, uh, thank you, uh, panel member LA and appreciate your partnership
and had a chance to talk to the controller, uh, briefly earlier. And, and, uh, I think we can actually continue to partner on this one as well as others to, uh, uh, find savings. Just wanna, um, make a couple of brief comments in, in response to what the panel members have said so far. You know, one, one, listen, our, our view was there was a risk to student, uh, safety in the schools, and there's nothing, as you noted, we take more seriously than that. We did not want to have a situation where God forbid a weapon got in that could have been detected,
um, and have, um, have, uh, injuries or deaths in, in our schools, something that is the always the highest priority for the chancellor. And, and the, so we took a an extraordinary step. It's true, and it's a, it's a very rare step to do this emergency contract. Um, what that means is that these replacement scanners now are in our schools. Uh, they are, um, replacing the, the ones that broke, uh, that were creating all kinds of problems. Uh, and that's, you know, I think a, a, a good thing.
Um, the, the, the vote, your vote does have significance. If you were to vote down this contract, um, the contract would be canceled. And we don't even know all the follow on effects of that might be effects on warranties maintenance. I'm not sure. I don't wanna make those representations, but the contract would indeed be canceled if you were to vote it down. And I just wanna, um, uh, state agreement with what panel member Shepherd said, what panel member lies said about the root causes. And, you know, in our view, this is a both and situation.
We couldn't agree more that we need to increase mental health resources. We have increased the number of social workers in schools over the last decade by 70%. Is it enough? No, but it's an investment that, uh, all the taxpayers have made, and, and we should be pleased that we're not ignoring this problem. Um, the chancellor, you know, recently had the announcement of New York City Public School cares. One of the elements of the first phase of that, uh, is around bullying, anti-bullying, and, and having a student led campaign around that. We think that's one of the things that will improve safety,
would continue to, uh, invest in mental health, which is the thing that, you know, you all spend time in schools. I'm in schools every week. Uh, when you talk to the kids, which of course we always do, we always hear about food that's, you know, everybody cares about food. But one of the things we probably most often hear about is the need for more mental health resources. Often they're talking about for, for friends who are struggling. So we've got 20 plus more mental health clinics going into our schools. Uh, we have over 200 of those. Is it enough again? No, it's, it's not enough. Um, but we're making some progress. Project Pivot.
Another example of what we're trying to do proactively. It's not about security and scanners. It is about having trusted messengers from the community, working with our kids. Very often what happens, and Mark Rampers Sanders here talks about this all the time, um, probably the best prevention tool that we have is students coming forward and saying, I know that somebody is bringing it in the night or has a beef and is going jump somebody after school. Um, they don't wanna see their, their classmates and their friends be, uh, uh, subject to, to violence.
So we have to make sure we have the trusted people in the schools, uh, to hear that, and to ask those questions and to, to find out why, uh, you know, a young person is, is, uh, looking like they're very quiet and something something's going on in, in their lives. So I think we're doing better. We're making progress, um, on those root cause solutions, but at the same time, we're, we're keenly aware that we need some level of security to make sure that weapons aren't getting into our schools. Thank you, chair. Thank you. And, and then,
Thank you. Um, so I wanna center, so our, our student panel members are not here this evening. Um, but I want to center their comments from the beginning of the last meeting, um, around the scanning contract and around how it criminalizes students and doesn't stop, um, incidences from happening in the school or around the school or on the way to or from school. Um, even to the effect of the student having to remove their shoes every time they're scanned because they're wearing professional attire, loafers that might have metal pieces,
and, um, you know, a professional bag, um, um, a briefcase. And, and these things are made with metal, and so they're gonna consistently go off in the scanners. And I just wanna center the student experience since our students are not here, and the majority of our student speakers have left. Um, students don't feel this way. They, and, and, and we could throw the water on the horse, but like, actually getting a horse to drink water involves a commitment and, and a relationship that, as you mentioned,
mental health clinics and counselors and investments in other areas. Um, and, and so I, I really need to center that because I, I have a, one of my schools is a scanning school, and we have 3000 students, and we consistently hear from students that they do not feel any safer in the school with the scanners. And that what ends up happening is that they get really creative about where they put things on the way to school because they don't feel safe. We have a larger systemic issue that we're not tackling that is all of our responsibility to handle it.
It's a culture issue within New York City. It's a culture issue within New York City public schools. And it's something that us as school board members, the chancellor, the mayor, we all need to get together and fix this because quite frankly, honest, it's a bit disrespectful if we all leave the system and didn't try to make that a little bit better for these kids. Um, and I just wanna center that if we had two other contracts, not one to pull from that, if we could leave $400,000 in classrooms, like at every opportunity that we do that, um,
so wanna center our students that they were not in favor of, um, more scanning that they wanted more mental health. I'm not saying they were against this contract, it's just the overall sentiment of from students regarding scanning and how that makes them feel when they enter their buildings, and that they're starting their days like this every day, potentially for four years. Thank you. You're referencing panel member Chan who spoke against Yes. Was the one panel student panels. Yeah. Yeah. And I agree with everything that was said and, uh, the way that we do have a systemic issue. Uh, but, uh, I was demonized when, um,
I I opposed the tabling of the locking of the doors and of the facial recognition, uh, programs for doors. And for me, I have no problem with that demonization from back then. I think it was the right decision then. I think there's certain things can't be Pollyanna. We have to be realistic. It's a dangerous world we live in, and there are bad people who wanna do bad things. And yes, there's not the one cure all for everything, but we have to put up the right opportunities. And I think we, we don't hear from the students who feel safer because of these things, who we don't know about the crimes that didn't happen because of those things. So there's a medium ground here.
But I know as a parent, I want as many possible things in place to protect my child when they walked through that door as possible. And again, I I was demonized in the press about it, and I was anti-education, and I don't care. I'll stand by it. I steps stood by it, then I'll stand by it again. I'm with it. And, uh, let's, let's protect the kids first and foremost. That's the primary objective for us as Trustees. Thank, thank you Panama. Jordana, I, I think it also noted that there were thousands of weapons confiscated by these scanners. So it's not like, you know, scanner, there aren't attempts to bring weapons into schools.
These scanners are picking up what, what would happen, imagine if these weapons were able to have actually arrived in the school. Um, so I think that, you know, it's not like these scanners don't have a function and it in the real world, and that there are weapons and attempts to bring weapons into schools. And, um, and it, and it doesn't mean that necessarily the intent was to do damage, but something can happen in an accident. If you have a weapon, you drop a gun and it goes off, or you, you know, do something unintentionally. So, um, I hear you, but I think we have to deal with the reality. And the reality is that, um, you know,
the world has become dangerous and people, um, sometimes don't have the best of motivation when they, um, when they do things. So I, I actually we're the panel to give that some consideration. Is there any other comment? So I think we're ready to vote. Why don't we then call the role? Let's proceed. Sure. Uh, there are no recusals on, um, this resolution. So when I call your name, please indicate how you wish to vote. Um, member Ali? Yes. Member Ali. Um, member bin. Yes. Member.
Sorry. Ca abstain. Member Deans. Uh, member Beek Ellis Abstain. Member Fair? Yes. Member Garcia? Yes. Member Giordano. Yes. Today, tomorrow, and next year. Vice Chair Green. Yes. Member Ho. Member ISO abstain. Member Meme? Yes. Member Wyn? Yes. Member Ong? Yes. Member SAP Member Shepherd? No.
Member Ang and Chair Faulkner? Yes. Um, the resolution passes, there are 14 Yes. Votes one No. And four Abstentions. Okay. Thank you. We'll move on to the next voting item, which is, uh, consideration of the Fair Student Funding Formula. Um, secretary Nathan, would you introduce the resolution? Yes. You okay? Yeah, I'm good. The resolution up for approval is entitled Resolution to Approve Ffy 2026 Fair Student Funding Formula
for the Release of School Budgets. Is there a motion to consider resolution? Is there a second to motion? Okay. Um, are there public comments on the resolution? Yes, there are. Samantha. Wait, wait. Samantha Fong, Johanna Bjo, Jen Choi. Um, that's it. Okay. You can begin. Hi there. I'm Johanna Borkin. Um, I, uh, in addition to being a parent, I had the privilege to serve on the class size working group last year. And Chair was the co-chair with Panel member Hassan of the Budget and Finance Committee.
And my interest in that was mostly because of my bizarre passion for everything regarding Fair Student Funding. Um, I'm a little bro, a bit of a broken record, and I don't have any anticipation that things are gonna change dramatically, but I can't not say that it is now. Fair Student Funding is dying the death of a thousand exceptions. Um, first with regard to all of the appeals, because it doesn't cover costs. Now with all of the funding coming in for class legislation
is often said that it is the most, most equitable way of funding schools. That's a tautology. Um, if you're measuring schools of equity by a per person formula per person funding, then of course, per person, uh, it, you're measuring it by the same equity, by the same thing that you're distributing the money and it doesn't relate to costs whatsoever. Um, it's kind of like a furnace that's broken that you're afraid to touch because you know that it's gonna break even more. And I feel like that's what Fair Student Funding has become. There's now a 40% surcharge, um,
on fair Student funding due to the fact that it is pegged, the dollar amounts are pegged to when the, the, uh, when what the average teacher salary was when it was invented. Um, and then the, the adjustments to that come as a collect, as a lump sum. That is now, this year, almost 40% next year will be even higher. And that means that every student is not $5,000 as a base, it's $8,000 as a base. Um, and that, and now you have a situation where a special ed student, one student with a special ed,
with an ICT need who is also an English language learner, might be 14 or $15,000. And, and the swings in that are creating budget volatility that frankly the system is not designed to handle. That's why we have, uh, over and over again, um, situations where the midyear adjustment is delayed. It's why Gen Choi is gonna talk about the fact that it doesn't pay for special ed, um, costs. We really need to think clearly and have true reform to the formula. I know it's not gonna happen now,
but you've gotta put it on your agenda, right? Um, I'm like really hoping that like, who's ever watching this video can actually see. There we go. There we go. Oh my God, I'm getting like confused. Okay. So thank you for your time. Um, I'm Jennifer Che. I'm the founder of New York City Parents of Students with Disabilities. We are a membership of 2000. We parents in the community have been asking questions about the special education funding weights for six weeks. And we got our answer three hours before this meeting.
We cannot give you our comments. We have been shut out. Um, so I hope you can give me just a little extra time because we can't, we couldn't give you our comments until now. So here goes, one of the questions that we had was about Persia and Spencer right here. And students. These students are working towards a CTE endorsed Diploma. Diploma. They both have ICT and they both have these and for their core subjects. But Persia needs 10 more periods
of special education teacher services that amounts to over the 60% that's on your, uh, uh, you know, thing that you're looking at. She needs 88%. So the question is, is Persia School going to get any more for Persia per student funding for Persia? And we had to wait over six weeks to get the answer. You are absolutely right according to the Fair Student Funding formula. But parents already know this. How do we know this? Well, we hear things like this at high school open houses for New York City public schools.
We do not offer ICT in ICT in world Language class. That's what Persia needs. We do not offer ICT in computer science. We do not offer ICT and career technical education courses. That's what Persia needs. We do not offer ICT and philosophy that's a required course of that school. We do not offer ICT and arts classes. I'm not making this up. These are actual, these are actual things that, and we've sent them to the City council for testimony. This is a civil rights violation for our students with disabilities. And it also breaks our DOE regulations.
So these are, and the division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning, which are, thank you so much for being here today. They write great rules and regulations, but the funding is limited for students with disabilities per student. If you could just gimme couple minutes. I mean, one minute please. The district said that, not two minute, but I'll give you an additional 30 seconds. The district said that the ways that the schools can request more funding is called is. They can say that that's an appeal. But if you look at those appeal applications, they look like audits asking principals
for their set aside funding. The district said, and then they also said that the fair student funding is most equitable, but is $1.3 million in impartial hearing payments. We even heard that from parents today. Is that equitable? Is that the most equitable that we can be? Is that what we're proud of as the most equitable formula? Because that's what causes these students to get impartial hearings. So in short, our response is short and it's late because we can't tell you anything because we got our answer three hours before this meeting.
So I'm going to just beg you for my community and myself, please vote no for the Fair Student Funding Formula and demand that the district change the formula. This change the special education funding weight to make it fair for our students who cannot afford lawyers to go to impartial hearings New Yorkers in this dark time, we need to show that we are better than this. Thank you. Good evening panel members. My name is Samantha Fung. I am here today to talk about the Fair Funding formula and how in its current iteration is not fair to kids
with disabilities. There should not be a cap on how much funding is provided per student in accordance with the special education teacher services on their IEP. Even those schools can use other funds to support special education teacher services. In my experience, they don't choose to do that. For example, my son has a language disability and an IEP that includes ICT. His school requires students to take three years of language, a foreign language with a third year culminating in a mandated AP foreign language class. This AP class is not offered in the ICT format.
Believe me, I have asked, there is only one teacher for this specific foreign language for all four grades employed by the school. My son already struggles with the foreign language in ninth grade, and I can't imagine he'll make it to the 11th grade without ICT. I will most likely have to ask for a LOTE waiver at his next annual evaluation. Providing additional funds to meet the IIC IEP mandates is what would make the fair funding formula actually fair. Thank you. That is the end of the public comment Chair. Okay, we'll now move to panel member comments. Chair Faulkner, panel Member Shepherd.
Thank you, chair Faulkner. All right. So few years ago, um, we gotta say really intense. We fight over this Fair Student Funding formula. Um, so much so, um, that then Chancellor Banks, um, said, let's put together a fair student funding working group, really look at the Fair Student Funding formula, um, and put up and propose some changes, right? And the working group came up with a number of changes.
Um, that said, I believe that, you know, we, we kind of took the low hanging fruit and kind of left the rest of it alone. And I say that because the Fair Student Funding Formula, since we proposed a change to, uh, students in temporary housing and a concentration weight, um, has basically just been unchanged for, uh, well since that, uh, uh, since that debate. Um, my issue is,
while we made the changes that we made, we didn't address all the needs we still have. And what comes to mind for me is a conversation I had with a middle school principal years ago, and he said in, in the Bronx, and he said, Mr. Shepherd, let me ask you something. He said, yeah. He goes, what am I supposed to do with a 17-year-old seventh grader? And that never left me because what are we supposed to do with a 17-year-old seventh grader? Right? We put them in a D 79 program, perhaps, or a transfer school, perhaps. But the reality is, where I live, most of our students
that are over Asian, under credited do not go to transfer schools or are not in D 79 programs. But guess what? There's no weight for them in this Fair Student Funding formula. Either. There is no weight for overage and under, under credited students. And there are, as I said back then, and I will continue to say so many needs that are not addressed in this formula. The formula, just when we talk about who it was designed to fund, right? Like it's a weighted formula based on need.
And when we are not considering our most vulnerable students with the most needs in a formula like overage and under credited students, then this formula does not work in the way that we say it's supposed to as an ideal. And until we address that and make sure that it is truly fair, and it is truly fair for our most vulnerable students and our poorest communities, um, then I cannot in good conscience, um, supported. So I'll be voting no on the fair Student
funding, uh, formula. Thank you Chair Faulkner. Now you back. Sure. Thank you. Any other comments? Let, why don't we go in a row, just start Panel member sto we'll go around. Um, I wanna thank my partner in the Bronx Panel Member Shepherd. Um, wanna thank panel member of Shepherd, my partner in the Bronx, um, because we're talking about over age and under credited. And I wanna thank our community member for bringing up special education because District 75 is also not funded in fair student funding. So it bears the question, who is this fair
to which students, district 75 doesn't get funded by student, they get funded by classes. Most of the money that schools receive is externally restricted. And even then they're not fully funded. We get funded for the amount of paras you are able to provide last year, not the amount you actually require. And then you have to ask for more money should you be able to staff it Again, we're we're funded by classes. So we can have a class of two that is set for a class of eight because we need to be federally compliant, but we're not gonna fund the students to make sure
that they're actually receiving the, the, the, the overall education for the full child as we are attempting to provide with the Fair Student funding formula for every other student. Um, and so I too will be voting no because we are not fairly funding all students. Thank you. Okay. Uh, Thank you Chair. The Fair Student Fund. Well, first actually, I wanna uplift what Ms. Jokin mentioned about the, um, collective bargaining lump sum payment that every school gets. This is before I start with my prepared remarks,
I just wanna highlight that this is an issue that our office has asked about for the past two years, um, in the briefings that we receive on the Fair Student Funding Formula. Um, I think there's been some consensus from DOE that it's not very transparent, um, why we still have this mechanism for updating, um, basically what teachers are getting paid these days, um, and that it's not really very equitable. Um, and I think it would be great if we could have a better discussion perhaps going forward
about this particular component of the formula, how it's, um, how that is, um, determined, and whether there's a better way to, um, to deal with updates in teacher pay. Um, the formula was designed to give principals flexibility on what they can spend their budgets on, and to ensure greater equity, although not perfect equity in the allocation of funding to schools with students with the greatest needs, students with disabilities, students living in poverty, students experiencing homelessness,
students learning English. The mayor's recent announcement that 750 schools would receive funding in their 20 25, 26 budgets to reduce class size, which includes 3,700 teachers at a cost that the comptroller's office estimates of at least $388 million just for the teacher salaries, um, is very welcome news, um, that the city is actually moving forward to reduce class size. But at the same time, there does not seem to be a long-term plan in place yet
to fund this on a sustainable basis. And this relates to the formula potentially, and even as this panel votes on the fair suiting funding formula for next year, that remains unknown. And so it is the hope of the comptroller that in the near future DOE will be able to share those plans, how sustainable funding for class size may impact or relate to the Fair Student funding formula and how the flexibility and equity in school funding will be maintained. Thank you. Uh, deputy, any chance you wanna comment? Thank you, chair. I, uh, just, uh,
can address a couple of the points. Um, um, did the, just wanna give a little bit of history Panel Member Shepherd recounted this, uh, that there was a working group formed in the summer and fall of 2022, made some recommendations. I would take some issue with the idea that a hundred million dollars a year into our schools is low hanging fruit. I don think that that was pretty big fruit that was like watermelon sized fruit, that it's a significant, uh, investment that I think the working group should be very proud of. Um, and it was expanding the pot.
You know, we were able at that time to not just change the allocation of the money that was already going to schools, but actually increase the, the amount and tie it specifically to, uh, students who have greater needs. So I think that was an accomplishment. Those you guys made those recommendations. The fall of 2022 panel voted in the spring of 2023, and they got implemented in the 20 23, 24 school year. Um, and so we're looking at not even through the second year of that. Having said that, uh, I think cha,
former Chancellor Banks said this, uh, I know that chance Les Ramos agrees. I agree this should be an ongoing discussion. I do want to say it is critically important in this discussion to talk about how we can expand the pie. And I think all of you know that while the, the largest source of funding is city funds, the second largest is state funds. And right now we're waiting to hear on pins and needles what the decisions, uh, are in Albany that will affect our kids in a very profound way.
What has happened with Foundation Eight? One of the things that many of us advocated for is the state do a better job of, in their foundation aid formula of targeting needs specifically for students with disabilities, because that would allow us to do a more precise job of targeting the need. Um, so I just, you know, wanna say that is as we talk about our foundation aid, this is one of the things we should always be focused on. Well, what is the state, uh, you know, what is the state budget? What is their contribution? How are they doing a better job allocating based
on student need? We can always do better. We can always do better in targeting to student need. Um, but I also, I wanna say particularly for our students, uh, with disabilities, again, you know, we're, we're New Yorkers, so we're always gonna focus on the train that's late, not the train that's on time. And the subway. This subway was dirty and the door didn't open, but good things are happening. So one of the things, you know, uh, panel Member Shepherd agreed with you on overage, under accredited students. That should be a real priority. Uh, as we dig into this formula, you know, we do have,
I think, you know, we do have a greater way for middle school students in that category even than than high school students. So we're, we've made some efforts. I'm sure we can make more, but it's not as if we're, we're ignoring that, that issue. Um, the, the other pieces that we have made, you know, over the last 10 years, tremendous amount of progress in provision of services as written in the IEP. I'm sure you may, you know, we we're talking about 20 14, 20 15 would be lucky to break 60%. Now we're breaking 90%. Again, not to say that we can't do better
and making sure every single parent and every single student who's got an IEP is getting exactly the services that they're entitled to, but we are headed in the right direction as a city and as a school system and credit to our educators, credit to our parents and students and our advocates for, for all of that. So, I, as a a chair, I would just stand by saying, I know that the chancellor would welcome, whether it's reconstituting a working group or sitting down with the panel and talking about, all right, now that we've got a couple of years under our belt with the, the big low hanging fruit
of, of, uh, a hundred million dollars, what, what should our next set of priorities be with the formula? Um, whether it's on transparency or targeting or so forth. Um, and how can we do it in a way where the pie is being expanded, not just Rob and Peter to pay Paul. And that, that's a conversation we would, we would love to have in whatever form the panel, uh, would, would like to have. Thank you. So we accept that as an open invitation for further dialogue, and that's great. And we will do that. Um, lemme go over Al Excuse for the member. I know, man. I wanna say I, I could go after her.
I, I couldn't see her. I was be going around Marielle. Did you have your hand up, Mariel? I can't see. I do wanna make a point, but just not right. Okay, go ahead. Okay. So I wanna say thank you to Joanna. Have these conversations. I don't you agree with you can't hear me. Sorry. Can you hear me now? Yes. All right. I wanna thank Joanne. And, um, you know, we do have these conversations and I agree with everything that my fellow pet members say. Um, I had my own concerns. I have my own. I'm on a special education advisory board.
And so, you know, they are special interests. Um, the way to increase that pie, more money is always come down to money, right? Funding. And we have to decide is education is a priority, right? In our communities. And we, if we decide education truly is, um, a right for every child that they get all their services, then funding from the city and the state will should reflect that, right? I'm not gonna vote no because I feel voting no is going to, at this moment
disrupt it won't change anything at, at this point in time because I agree, like with Joanna, it gonna be gonna stay with status quo. But we have to have these conversations and if we don't have those conversations, 'cause I think we have to have a streamline for special education along with, for student, uh, funding. A streamline for education for D 79 and D 75 because the goal of the system is to service a, um, the opportunity to all our students, not some,
not part here, all of them and completely. 'cause we want them to be com um, productive, well-rounded and able to add to our communities. 'cause now Sydney will be better if our children's education is better, if they get, if they learn to care and advocate like we saw earlier tonight from 3 94 and with the parents and families. So it's more money. But I want to make sure we have conversations and come with other smarter ways. 'cause fair student funding is not covering everything and we know this. So we need to come smarter, better, innovative, right?
And we can do that. And yes, there were improvements or increase, but to really increase it, show me the money Ali, um, panel members. Good evening everyone. Al Adriana Ali, she her here for Queen CC. Um, I want to thank my fellow panel members for their comments and I want to echo those comments. However, I cannot in good conscience support this iteration of the fair student funding as it fails to address the persistent and profound inequities facing our most vulnerable student populations, including our special education students.
While the formula is intended, it is intended to, in claims to prioritize need, it still leads under-resourced schools without adequate support for critical services, especially for our D 75 and D 79 students. I want to clarify that I'm going to abstain from tonight's vote and that my abstention is a refusal to endorse a system that perpetuates gaps under the guise of fairness until the funding model truly reflects the cost of educating all New York City Public School students with transparency surrounding weights, building or bolstering guardrails against austerity cuts
and targeted meaningful investments that we have done in the past. I cannot cast a vote in favor of a deeply flawed status quo. Our students deserve more than incremental adjustments. They deserve a transformative approach. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Come back to you. Ready? Now. Sorry. Had to shut down my points though. Thank you. Thank you Chair Faulkner. Um, I do want to uplift the points that were made by a fellow panel member, uh, Shirley Popin. Um, I think one of the themes that I've picked up from tonight, um, it's not always a this or that.
Sometimes it can be both. Um, and I think with, with all of the items that we've discussed so far, and I think it's also the same thing for this, uh, particular item that we're currently discussing. So, yes, to more advocacy, yes. To more money, yes. To engaging our electeds effectively. Um, is the current kind of formula as it stands, does it have everything that we need it to have? No, I recognize that. Is it something, yes. Um, it, it is, you know, I I do want
to also acknowledge what, um, first deputy Chancellor, uh, Weisberg mentioned around, you know, the opening, the, the encouragement or the reconvening of the working group. And I think that is a good step and, and would certainly encourage, um, that convening to happen on a more regular basis to address a lot of these things. So just wanted to kind of, uh, share those points. Thank you Chair. Thank you Panel. Um, I think, are we ready for the question? I think we are. Let's proceed to a vote. Before you say that, I just wanted to say, um, well,
I just wanted, I just wanted to say thank you. Yeah. But you know, we wanna kind of move on if it's there. That's critical. That's just critical. We, you know. Oh, well. Okay. Okay. Um, when I call your name, please tell me how you would like to vote on the resolution about Fair Student. The Fair Student Funding Formula. Member Ali? Yes. Member Ali. Say abstain. Member bin. Yes. Uh, member ca Abstain. Member Dean Stag? Yes. Member EK Ellis Abstain.
Uh, member Fair? Yes. Member Garcia? Yes. Member Ano? Yes. Vice Chair Green? Yes. Member Ho? Yes. Member District 75 is the fastest growing district in the Bronx. No. Thank you. Um, member Meme? Uh, yes. Member Owin. Member Ong? Yes. Member sap. Yes. Member Shepherd? No. Member seat Sang and Chair Faulkner?
Yes. Uh, the resolution passes. There are 14 Yes. Votes? Two no votes and three abstentions. Great. Okay. Motion passes. And the final voting item is, I believe we have a resolution from panel member. Yes. Yeah. Yes. Is that the resolution? Yeah. The resolution is entitled Resolution on Improving the PSAL system in New York City for greater transparency, access, and support of student needs. Is there a motion to, uh, yes, consider, is there second? Is there a second? Okay. Is there this many public comments on the resolution?
There are actually two people signed up to speak. Andre Lev and, uh, Johanna Bjo Waving, And also, I'm sorry. And Ellen Chu. Um, Johanna? No. Okay. That's okay. Thank you. See, we're getting to know you tonight. So I guess nobody are either, either of the, of the other people's names who I got called this gentleman looked like it. Peter, after when it will be public speaking,
after the union rep will Speak, you wanna speak in the public comment? Yes. And what is your name? Andre Lemon. Okay. We'll move you to that public comment. Thank you. Okay, so we'll move to panel member comments. Panel Member Shepherd. Thank you. Chair Faulkner. Um, I would first like to, um, be added with, uh, panel member, ba cre and panel member Arvin, uh, as a co-sponsor, um, of this resolution. Um, having a daughter
who plays for the Roosevelt High School softball team. Um, I, and, and with five daughters in general, right? I, I know how important sports are for our students, especially our girls, especially our young women. Um, what I will say is this resolution, um, calls on the DOE to do more, to do better.
Um, it, it speaks to, um, expanding like shared access and, um, creating more, uh, PSAL teams. Um, I would, uh, while I fully intend to vote yes on this resolution, I would also ask the DOE to, um, uh, invest more in what athletic facilities look like. Um, I will say that I have been, uh, one
of the things I have been very impressed, um, with, uh, this system about is the fact that when I walk around the Bronx and I go to schools in the Bronx, now I see so many more athletic facilities than we had five years ago. You know, I see pools open at Truman and Evander and d Wade Clinton. I see a brand new field at Kennedy that my daughter played on a few weeks ago. They, you know, they lost that one.
But, but the, the, the cool thing about it was she got to play on a field that we advocated for. So they took the L in terms of their win loss record, but all of those girls won that day because they had an opportunity to play on a brand new field. And, you know, I see, you know, the, the field being done at TAF and, uh, the field being done at Evander, and there's so much that that is being done, um, to improve access to high school sports for our students.
Um, so I I fully intend to vote yes on this with, um, a recommendation that we also continue, um, to uplift sports by improving access to facilities for our young people. Thank you, chair Faulkner. Now you're back. Sure. Actually, I should have called on Panama Baca first as the maker of the re author, so I apologize. So if you wanted to No, thank you so much. Um, but I cannot take full credit for this. My colleague, Maryam Ellis was, um, mostly responsible for the production
of this and had attended many, many PEP meetings speaking about PSAL. So, um, the credit is to Dr. Ellis and, um, really what, what we wanted to do with call attention to the, to the subject and, um, to remind people that there was civil action complaint against the DOE and the DOE has made progress towards their goals. Um, unfortunately they have not met their goals, but I understand there's a lot of money involved, um,
hoping that we can ensure that by this summer that the goals are met. So that'll be a, a year beyond what the deadline was. Um, we wanna make sure that there's more transparency around this process, that families and students understand when the triads are and when important dates are happening. Um, and that better communication is happening between schools and families and students. And there's a bit of a disconnect, misunderstanding about
what the responsibilities of PSAL are, what the responsibilities of the schools are. I know internally it's very clear, but it's not clear out in the real world where, where we all are standing. And so we need to have like, better communication systems just in that area alone. And so I wanna thank, um, CEC 15 and 16 who passed this resolution this week, and I believe 13 as well. Um, and thank you to the people who were interested in co-sponsoring.
Adriana asked to have her name added, Tom Rema, and I'm Maryanne, so Thank you so much. Okay. Eddie, any other comments? Panel members? Alban, I just wanna say again, the goal of that resolution is knowledge, communication, and transparency. And I would like, um, that, Tom, thank you for bringing that up. We can work on that to make sure. There's a lot of schools who athletic fields are not, you can't use them. And like August Martin just got, you know, just got their, uh, field. It was not in use for years.
Now it brings the school community and the surrounding communities outside together. That's what sports do, you know, comradery. And we need other ways in enrichment activities, especially in the high school. It brings them, helps attendance, right? Yes. The arts and sports and extracurricular activities brings our students to school. Thank you. Thank you. And Thank you very much, chair. Um, so detailed to everything that you said right now. Uh, and this resolution is what I would like everybody
to understand here is, uh, offering the accessibility to families and to students and also, uh, by, uh, uh, command, by making that transparency, uh, uh, increased. Let the parents know when they are already in middle school that sports are available in high school and that sports can bring scholarship in one of the best schools, colleges. So when, when we offer that communication,
clear communication to parents from middle school mm-hmm. And prepare them for what can happen in high school, that's a plus for the families. And it's a plus for the, for the students, for the athletes, the young athletes. And, um, and I hope also that, um, D-O-E-N-P-S-L will think about more accessibility and more places for, uh, for athletes to practice their sports. For example, I can't tell you that in track and field, there are three seasons, fall indoor and outdoor season.
For outdoor season, these athletes have to practice somewhere. And we used to use Brooklyn Red Hook. Red Hook has been in, uh, construction reconstruction for now before Covid. So we lost Red Hook and everybody is practicing in Macary, in Williamsburg. So that is not central for all our students, et cetera. So these are things that, uh, and for example, during indoor season, there is only one place that is indoor, and it's the Armory in Manhattan.
So the students from everywhere else, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, all have to go to the Armory 168th Street in Manhattan. So we need an, we need an armory, we have an armory in Brooklyn, but we just need DOE maybe to partner with someone and make that happen Also, uh, to have an indoor facility for our athletes because, uh, when you see these athletes performing, it is a joy and the sportsmanship and everything that is achieved. Uh, so yes, it's knowledge
and it's, uh, uh, community opportunity for all these young people and attendance and taking, taking them from know, from the wrong base. So. Okay. Thank you. Um, I think we're ready for the questions. So Secretary, I please call the wrong, Uh, yes. When I call your name, please indicate how you wish to vote on the resolution. Uh, there are no Recusals. Um, member Ali? Yes. Member Ali. Say yes. Um, member Albin. Yes. Member Casre. Yes. Member Dean Sta abstain.
Member Ben Ellis. Yes. Member fair abstain. Member Garcia? Yes. Uh, member Ano Abstain. Uh, vice chair Green Abstain. Member Ho. No. Member Sto. Yes. Member Meme Abstain. Member Owin. Abstain. Member Ong Abstained. Member S uh, member Shepherd.
Yes. Member Ang and Chair Faulkner Abstain. Um, the resolution fails. There are, there are eight votes in favor. One no. And 10 Abstentions. Okay, we'll now proceed to, um, the open public comment. I know there was some signups for that. Yes. Still here. Um, please wake your way down to the microphone when I call your name. Um, Patricia Cino. Uh, Delma spies. Jennifer Pa Fiche.
I'm trying, is it a hard sea or a soft sea? Um, Dwayne Hines and Andre Leviev. If you're at the microphone and I called your name, you can begin speaking while other people are coming. Before you start the clock, I wanna publicly thank all of you that mentioned, uh, district 79 programs. Uh, that is the, uh, proud group that I am the district rep for and people don't know about us, so thank you. I asked you not to start the clock. I wanted to thank you. It had nothing to do with my comments. Well, well clock better talk about, okay, I'm here
to talk about Nicole Kuo. Uh, she is an, was an interacting principal that was put into P two G and there were major issues. So she was not selected outta nowhere. She surfaced again and they put her into the A LC West. Uh, we tried to work with her. I got the information from the chapter leader of Pathways to graduation. What were the issues? We brought them to her in hopes that it would improve her, that she would take the constructive criticism. Nothing changed. Uh, there was a no confidence vote.
90% of the staff at the A LC had no confidence in her leadership. Let me remind you, interim acting principle. I'm in the system 37 years. It's the second no confidence vote I've ever heard of. The other one was about Kara Ahmed. Uh, you'll hear about ongoing issues. Keeping her is going to require a lot of time and resources that could be used elsewhere. The DOE asked for 30 days, it's been over 60, you will hear no improvement. Our students de deserve better than that. And there's many things that you could do.
This is an easy one. She's interim acting and in my opinion, has failed twice. Our kids don't deserve that. And like I said, this is an easy one. We're not talking about a tenured principal. We're talking about an interim acting currently in the C 30 process. We've communicated these issues. There's not been a decision yet that I'm aware of. Let's make sure it's the right one because our kids and our teachers and staff deserve a good leader. She's proven twice. She is not a good leader.
She needs more training and it shouldn't be on the job. These people are all here to tell you they work for her. So I'm gonna ask that you pay attention to them. Thank you. And we fix this. What's the name? What's the school? A LC West, which is the Alternative Learning Center. It's where suspended Children go. And again, I'll say the name. Nicole Kuo. Intact. Next speaker. Mr. Spies. Okay. So I'm a staff member
of Brooklyn West San Island, a LC. And I'm here to discuss support leadership of Interacting Principal Kuo. So I'll start it off with how this school year started when we were discussing locations for each staff member, she gave the recommendation that I work out of a coat closet in the site. Now the coat closet is pretty much an enclosed space. There's almost no air circulation. I went, I spoke against it and she kept giving pushback. She kept giving pushback saying that, no, this is what I want. This is what's gonna go. And she didn't, she didn't stop until she eventually received pushback from the rest of the staff. This is during our, one of our first meetings
with the whole staff at the site. Now she also has a habit of being extremely condescending. Um, I'm in charge of many other responsibilities to my site. I help things run mostly with tech and whatnot. And she's constantly trying to gaslight me into making me believe that I don't do enough work. And she constantly speaks to me in a ing tone, making it seem as though what I do is never enough. Even though I've taken on responsibilities and I do my best to help out my staff members, it's never enough. And then when I bring it up to her and I show her proof that I try my best to do as much work as I can, she'll just double down again, gaslight me
and double down again. Now she's a fan of giving directives without talking to anybody about it. It's whatever she wants has to be done then and there. And if you don't like it, too bad. And To me, I feel like this creates a very toxic work environment because of the fact that it's not, um, it's not one person that runs the whole program. It's a community. We have to work together and that's what we're here for. It's supposed to be a team, not one person just calling the shots while everybody just sits quiet and just does whatever they're told. So there's been many times where I've spoken out against directives and instead I've gotten reprimanded
and told that it's whatever she's, it is a call she made. It has to be done. No questions. Now, there was an occasion already of this week. We had an attendance meeting and as the the meeting was going on, she made a comment saying, basically stating that while I'm in my office, I don't get anything done during the day that I just laze about. So I rebuked. And after I rebuked, she doubled down and tried gaslighting me, making me believe that I'm just laing about that I'm a bad worker, that I don't take my work seriously. So honestly, I don't take account to that.
I do take my work seriously. I do try and do the best I can. I do try and help out as many of my staff members and coworkers as I can. So I feel like there's no reason for her to be acting this way with the staff members when they're actually doing the work. Same thing goes with emails. Okay. Thank you. Your time has expired. Thank you. Good evening. We are staff members from Brooklyn West, Staten Island, A LC District 79. And we are here tonight to talk about the poor and ineffective leadership under ia, principal and ano. We are representing the Staten Island and Brooklyn sites. We all share one common denominator.
The poor leadership of Principal cuo on dec on February 24th. Administrators of Tweed and the superintendent, who many of them are here tonight, visited two of the sites because they were made aware that the staff members were attending the PEP meeting that evening. They also visited two sites in Brooklyn on March 10th. During the February 24th visit, the UFT members were asked by the administrative's tweet to give them time to address all of the concerns. 30 days we graciously honored their requests. However, 30 days have come and gone.
As a matter of fact, 60 days have come and gone and not one time has there been any follow up from any of the administrators of tweed nor the superintendent. But things have still not improved. Poor and ineffective communication continues from IA principal Ms. Kuo. It is no, she is no stranger to the role of being an ineffective leader. Rewind four years ago when her poor leadership skills prevented her from going from IA principal to an appointed principal. The feedback we received from those staff members was the same as we have been experienced. She put staff downs. She does that currently.
She made changes without asking staff. This has been a very big issue with the B-A-W-I-A-C. She insulted the staff members. Many members of B-W-S-I-L have reported the same experience. She would not communicate with the staff members to date. This has rolled over to B-W-L-S-A. This critical feedback was presented to I Aquino by UFT Representative Donna Cap. Donna promised to help principal Kuno throughout the many challenges and obstacles that she could be more effective leader and be successful. Donna highlighted the most important issue communication.
The feedback would've given Principal Kuno an opportunity for a second chance. Not only did she not capitalize on that feedback to correct her mistakes by having the second chance here at BWLC, but she was not able to receive and correct it during the entire year, including the 30 Days time expired. Thank you. Good evening panel. I'm staff member of the BWLC and I'm here tonight to talk about the poor leadership on the IA principle. Nu we, the staff at the Brooklyn West Alternate Learning Center formerly expressed a vote of no confidence in Nicole Kuo IA principle.
And after thorough discussion and careful consideration, 90% of the staff has come to the unanimous conclusion that Ms. Eno's leadership is severely lacking in essential areas. I am here to share with you a few examples of how her poor leadership has continued. After 30 days, each site received an email from their site, uh, supervisor stating that staff or not to email ia. Principal NU funds that were supposedly allocated to all five sites in January of 2025 were not distributed until April of 2025.
Essential items such as paper could not be purchased, leaving some sites with no paper at all. This violates Article four, professional Rights and Article 22 Teacher funds. The lack of essential, uh, supplies like paper directly impacts the teacher's ability to meet their professional responsibilities and the needs of the students, say Marks a LC in Staten Island has not had a functioning copier machine since March of 2025. The DOE vendor, TGI sends out a reminder to leadership in August about renewing the lease. This lease was up in July, 2024
and it was not renewed until April, 2025. The site supervisor sent several emails to I Eno starting in November of 2024, explaining to her that the copy machine needs to be renewed with no response back from her. The site supervisor sent another follow-up email in February of 2025 asking if the lease was paid. Once again, no response. The site supervisor had to plead again, TGI on April 11th, 2025 to not terminate the lease. And he promised them that the lease would get paid. The lease was paid on April 11th to no avail
of the site supervisor's Persistence. What evening everyone? Uh, my name is Andre Leib. I'm the science teacher at Brooklyn West lc at Albany site. So the school where pr, where Ms. Kunu is a principal is made of five sites, and our site is special. That's Albany lc because Ms. Kunu is not only the principal, she's our site supervisor. So we communicate with her four or five days per week. And I want to tell you about certain outstanding violations that were done toward, towards the kids.
So first of all, starting from December of this school year, we don't have any guidance counselor at our site, no guidance counselor. Our kids are there because they were suspended from their homeschools. They really need and deserve the individual and group counseling me. We don't have any guidance counselor. Ms. Nus response to this situation was, why do we need a guidance for what? I think this is a great violation of students, right? Another thing, this is a, this two, uh,
second two items I think are about safety. Uh, there were many Caucasians when students, some students brought substances to school, which, which was, which included containers with certain substances and devices like, or vaping substances. There were at least three occasions when students were vaping in school. This was brought to Ms. NUS attention. Me personally, I brought it, I sent emails to her. Nothing was done. Substances were not confiscated.
There were nous suspension. No reaction to substance abuse. Other kids, of course, majority of the kids, they don't, they don't do it. They see this reaction and they feel really unsafe. They, they are, many of them are afraid to come to school. Another thing, uh, I work in suspension for, this is 18th year. I work in suspension and, um, the cell phone policy, cell phones are not allowed at suspension site. However, what Ms. Nu does, she allows electronic devices which have tablets, iPads, that don't belong to DOE.
And, um, they just personal devices. And, um, her reason is that, uh, we don't have, uh, we don't have books to store them. So certain kids to constantly, when your time is expired, gang members and other kids are afraid of it. It's unsafe environment. Thank you. Good evening. Uh, thank you to the panel for, uh, educational policy for the opportunity to speak to you all tonight. My name is Alvis Estevez and I'm here on behalf of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators. We represent the city's principals, assistant principals,
and other administrators throughout our public school system. I associates say, I'm here to speak on behalf of my colleague, principal Nicole Quana, who is currently the principal of RLC one and a LC sites serving Brooklyn and Staten Island. While community members are certainly always free to share their thinking and share their opinions on a principal leadership, I wanna ensure that concerns previously brought to the PEP by a handful of folks are heard with the appropriate context. Every school leader recognizes that change can sometimes be difficult, and assuming leadership often comes
with challenges, when the principal takes certain actions in their school building, whether to improve academic outcomes, accountability, there may be sometimes resistance to change. Since assuming leadership at the A LC Principal, Kuno has communicated that she is open to feedback, willing to collaborate, and dedicated to the school's success. Many of the opinions voiced to the PP have little to do with the operation of the school or the safety of the children. But interpersonal gripes, the truth is leadership is not about making everyone comfortable.
It is about making the right decisions for students, staff, and the school's future. So we must often differentiate between gripes and grievance. Our grievance is a formal complaint. Our system has a negotiated process for filling, for filing, and hearing such grievances. Now, a grip is of dissatisfaction with the decision, policy or leadership style. There are also proper channels for dialogue. In conclusion, we would just say here as CSA, we support our colleague, principal Qua, we support her. And there's a C 30 process. Thank you. Thank you. We allow, we should allow that process to continue.
We ask the pp Thank you. Thank you. The next group of speakers, um, Kenny Acklemore, uh, Donna Co Coppola, uh, Johanna Jokin. Do you wanna do a public comment? Okay. Uh, and Catherine Paulino, We can begin. Hello. Good evening. It's almost morning, so good morning. Almost, uh, Donna, uh, sta it's the UFT District Rep for the Brooklyn West A LCI came and I spoke in February about the, uh,
ineffective leadership of Nicole Quaia, which continues today. As you hear from the staff members. I'd like to yield the rest of my time to the guidance counselor. Uh, Shari Paul. Well, did he, did the guidance counselor sign up to speak? He tried to, he gotten too late because he, We, we don't normally yield time, so if you want to use your time, you can, but, um, we have an announced signup procedure. It's fine. Yeah, it's fine. I will, um, share a situation that Sharif is going through right now that has a lot to do
with ineffective leadership. So, the Brooklyn West, a LC as we know it's a suspension site, it does not, um, run like a typical school does. And what the guidance counselors have to do is, um, reach out to the, the neighboring schools where the children are coming from to give them progress reports. And so, so that they build relationships with the schools in the community. And so they speak with the principals, they speak with other guidance counselors. They speak to, inform them
of what's going on with the students. However, one of the mandates that the guidance counselors need to do is communicate with the schools with progress for on progress reports for students who know sh who don't show. So now, I don't think we could really speak to a child that we've never met, but this is a mandate that's given to them. So they have to reach out to the principal and the principal says, why are you calling me? It ruins relationships by wasting time. Thank you.
Okay. Thank you. Okay. And the, and the gentleman you mentioned that wanted to, you can also submit written testimony, um, to the panel. So if there was someone who, um, wasn't able to speak, you didn't sign up, you can actually submit a written statement to us. Can I say Something, a question? Sure. Um, he, this is, I think this is the gentleman who didn't Sign up. So, By this Question, I came, the question is, why would I have to be forced to submit something in writing when something was submitted in writing? Um, at the last panel at Claire Barton. Okay.
I signed up at that time and we ran out of time. I didn't get a chance to speak. Well, I, that's not the process normally. What, what, uh, if a person wants to speak, they will sign up. You didn't, you didn't sign up? No, the Thing is, okay, we can talk afterwards. I mean, 'cause I think that the process is we have an open process. You're allowed to sign up to speak, and you apparently did not sign up. What I was doing is saying there is an option for people who may not have been able to sign up or may not have been able to come to the meeting to submit written testimony. Thank you. Hi again. Um, I'm Johanna Biane
and as a parent, I, I wanna say I'm, I'm really disappointed the PSAL resolution did not pass. Um, my son, uh, is blossoming in the sports that are offered at his shared campus high school. Um, he's very lucky to be on a shared campus high school that has a lot of, that has volleyball and soccer and all the things. Um, and it really is a matter of equity. Um, I hope that those of you who have abstained did so because you wanted for more information and you'll come back and revisit this in the future.
I certainly hope that you do that. Um, and I also hope that you'll cons that. Um, one of the, the nice things about PSAL is that it does combine extracurriculars on shared campuses in ways that get around the very small school problem that small schools can't offer a lot. And I really hope, um, that, that you'll in consider a similar model for other types of extracurriculars, especially drama and music. Okay, Folks, folks, there, there are people, someone speaking. Can we leave quietly if you're leaving?
Yeah. Um, I don't know where I am in my time. It says two minutes, so I think I'm out. Just try to finish. Okay. That, that, that's, that, that's basically my point. Please, please revisit the PSAL. It's imp resolution. It's very, I think it's really important and I'm shocked it didn't pass. Okay. Thank you. Uh, the next group of speakers I have Jen Choi, Colleen Williams, Bama, Mohammad, Cheryl, prince, Chair, all these other speakers very brief. Sure.
I Just, to the folks, folks from the speakers from the A LC. Sorry, Jen. Don't worry. We're give give your full time, don't worry. Okay. Um, Not, your mic's not working. You have to sometimes start talking. And it, um, thank you so much for being here. Hold on a second please. One sec. The A LC, um, Testing one, two. Yep. So just, just just to say thank you. Um, the C 30 is, I think some of it, the C 30 is the chancellor's regulation
that governs selection of principles. That's okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. That, um, that is ongoing. As you know, we expect that C 30 process to finish quite soon. Um, and we never want to hear ever that, uh, any of our staff are having such, uh, tremendous difficulty with their supervisor, whether it's in a school setting or central setting, so forth. So we, we take this input very, very seriously. We do have to follow the regulations when it comes to selection of principles, and we are following that.
The thing I would say to you, just in terms of timing, is that we expect resolution of that C 30 quite quite soon. Can't give you an exact date. Okay, great. But quite soon. Thank you. I have information to ask about that. Well, I think Tony Ano you had one first. I, yeah, I know. Personnel issues to fall and the purview of the pep, but, um, as such, those, shouldn't they be taken in the executive session or in prior? What is the process for us? I mean, because the pro the process, you, you're not the decision maker in the C 30 process. So since you weren't the decision
maker, I think this was okay. This Was okay. Yeah. Okay. Your panel member skier. So My point of information question is that, um, they did mention that they're D 79 program. They mentioned that they're an alternative learning center, which means that all of your students are suspended from other schools and you have five sites. What does SLT look like for them? Because if they have a C 30, then there should be a PTA and a school leadership team, and they are mandatory members on the C 30. So I'm just wondering what the structure looks like for them, because like, I just wanna understand.
Yeah, I don't know if there are any modifications of the C 30 process. Uh, but it's so, so I would assume, uh, I would assume that there's both staff and parent, uh, representatives in that process. So let, okay, let's return back to the speaker, the next speaker in the public comment section. No, the, the lady was at the microphone. So there are no parents on and Troy, but the parents On. Okay. Can we stop the cross conversation? Let's go back to the, uh, program because they have a home school. Okay, you can begin. Thank you. Thank you so much for staying here.
So late in the evening, I wanted to just further add thank you to all the panel members who voted no and abstained. I, I wanna explain something about the fair Student funding formula based on some of the comments that I heard. We're talking about money, we're talking about the state aid, we're talking about all these things. We're talking about. Maybe streamlining maybe some other thing. Maybe we could even do a school allocation memorandum, just like the Nest program has, because that's what the district talked about at the special education oversight. Hearing how wonderful it is
and how it also prevents impartial hearings because it really does. It's an excellent program. It is not a concierge program. It is a program that hits students' targeted needs. That said, though, if we look at this, just this, and there's this student here that is not getting ICT for a language other than English ICT for CTE. This happens so often in every school and in all the schools, you know. And so what hap if like a student has dyslexia
or student has a DHD needs the ICT and the CTE or the language other than English class because they're have dyslexia of all things. And then these school teams have to say, no, you don't need that. That is then fueled not just by the fair Student funding formula, that is the Fair Student funding formula, be getting implicit bias on our staff because they have to face these families and say no to these things. No, you don't need the ICT in LOTE.
I have in here somebody telling a school remember that they shouldn't, they, they're never gonna get it. And they should please consider carefully as you know, your child best. And this may not be the school for him if he requires extensive supports. Is ICT extensive support? Thank, um, Travis Thornton. I think Mr. Giron left Eliza Ellison. Tracy Corbett. Ellen ue. I'm just calling the names. If anybody's here raise your hand and we're at you way down. Rosa Polanco.
Ebony Benton mackay Semper, Virginia Goodwin. Tanya Rosario C Sterling, or Christine Toussant. That's it. Okay. I think Nick, we have exhausted the, uh, uh, speaker's list for, uh, general public comment. Um, okay. We have a, we have a motion to adjourn. Is there a second to the motion to adjourn before we make that I, one quick announcement. Um, our next meeting will be on May 28th at the Michael J
Pat School in Staten Island. Um, is there objection to the motion to adjourn? See no objection. The motion is adopted. This meeting is adjourned. How about June? May, May, They didn't announce the adjourn was may. I just announced the meeting.