September, 2024 - The Ocean Avenue News

Brooklyn’s public schools will start the new school year on Sept. 5, but some will be without after-school programs.

As the 2023-24 school year ended, Albany altered the funding structure for after-school programs. The New York State Learning and Enrichment After-School Program Supports, a new initiative by the state’s Office of Children and Family Services, replaced the Advantage After School and Empire State After School programs, which had funded after-school activities hosted by schools and community-based organizations across the city until June 30, 2024.

Under the new funding criteria, some southern Brooklyn CBOs were not approved for any after-school funding this year, leaving many students with nowhere to go in the afternoons while their parents work full-time.

school kids funding — With the first day of school looming, many parents are scrambling for after-school plans for their children. Photo courtesy of Gerardo Romo/NYC Council Media Unit

“This is a huge issue and as we get closer to the start of the school year,” said Jay Brown, president of Community Education Council 21. “The worry about this funding has been increasing. We’ve been contacted by parents and parent associations who are extremely concerned about the current state of things.”

With much at stake, many in southern Brooklyn — and across the borough —are taking action to address issues that will affect thousands of families as the cost of living continues to rise.

How did we get here?

Some community-based organizations think changes to the application process have left them out in the cold.

Annette Velez, Executive Director of NIA Community Services, explained that when the Advantage After School and Empire State After School programs were phased out, CBOs like NIA had to apply for new contracts to secure funding for each school they served. Velez said NIA worked diligently on the applications with an experienced grant writer and submitted proposals for ten schools, including P.S. 104, P.S. 185, and P.S. 939 in District 20.

But in June, NIA was informed that their proposals would not receive funding. The organization was told it had scored 90% on the rubric, but other programs had scored higher. NIA was placed on the “approved but not funded” list, meaning they would only receive funding if additional resources became available.

Still, Velez and the rest of the NIA team had several concerns about the Request for Proposals process.

“There were several amendments to the RFP ahead of the submission deadline,” she told Brooklyn Paper, “which greatly complicated the proposal development process.”

One significant change, she said, was an increased funding limit per applicant, which suggested fewer awards would be given across the state, but at higher amounts per contract. Additionally, the RFP included language indicating that buildings with existing programs would be less likely to receive funding.

“This seemed to put many NYC public schools at a great disadvantage,” she said.

NIA services after-school program — NIA submitted proposals for after-school programs at ten schools. Photo courtesy of NIA Community Services

In the northern part of the borough, St. Nicks Alliance also faced challenged with the RFP process, despite securing enough funding for some of its other programs.

“It was a very difficult RFP to respond to,” said Debra Lorenzen, director of youth and education at St. Nick’s Alliance. “It had a million attachments. It had a lot of detail that was required. The narratives were very long. Close to the deadline for submission, the state changed some of those rules. But by then, many organizations, I suspect, were not able to really pivot.”

St. Nicks did not receive funding for a program at the Christopher Avenue Community School in Brownsville. Parent Coordinator Renee Bullard told Brooklyn Paper that while the school has an after-school staff, it lacks the resources to pay them, leaving the principal scrambling to secure funds.

Lorenzen also confirmed that LEAPs limited the amount of money CBOs could request and restricted the number of schools they could apply for.

As for the scoring, Velez noted that each of NIA’s applications was reviewed by different individuals, each with their own interpretation of the RFP guidelines and proposals.

“We found that all of our applications received different scores, despite being worded almost identically,” she said.

A push from local pols

After learning its proposals were rejected, NIA reached out to the schools it served and sought assistance from elected officials, including state Sens. Andrew Gounardes and John Liu, Assembly Member Michael Tannousis and Council Member Justin Brannan.

When Tannousis discovered P.S./I.S. 30 in District 20 would have 100 fewer after-school seats for elementary grades in the new school year, he wrote a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul, urging her to restore the school’s funding.

“Such parameters have left P.S./I.S. 30 at a severe disadvantage compared to neighboring schools, resulting in an unforeseen financial burden on families and placing educational opportunities for our children at risk,” the letter reads.

In a statement to Brooklyn Paper, Liu called the issue “troubling.”

parents at after-school protest — Parents called for help from city and state agencies at an Aug. 31 protest. Photo by Megan McGibney

“The state Senate provided record funding for both education and after-school programs in the state budget so it’s troubling that a well-established program would be cut so drastically,” he said. “We are looking into the process that state agencies have recently revised to ensure that our constituent families will be best-served and not lose their vital after-school programs.”

Gounardes said the Office of Children and Family Services did not provide clear answers on how the new process had changed things, and released a joint statement with Senate colleagues Iwen Chu, Jessica Scarcella-Spanton and Simcha Felder, as well as Brannan and Council Member Alexa Avilés.

“For years, many southern Brooklyn schools have relied on longstanding partnerships with experienced local providers to offer our kids free after-school programs,” the pols’ statement read. “Working families rely on these programs for child care and educational opportunities — for many, these programs are a lifeline that allows them to make ends meet and keep their kids safe.”

Brannan, although limited to handling the issue at the city level, had even stronger words for the state’s decision.

“This baffling decision by New York State to change course on after-school funding is unacceptable and destabilizing to our parents, principals, and kids,” he told Brooklyn Paper. “Expecting working families to suddenly start paying for programs that have been free for decades is just obscene and randomly terminating contracts with trusted community partners makes no sense. I am doing everything in my power to help make this right for our local families.”

One day away

With the new school year less than 24 hours away, concerns are growing about how to support children who now lack after-school programs and have no alternative care options while their parents work full-time.

Stephany Bonney, the incoming PTA president at P.S. 104, said parents are struggling to find solutions for their children.

“The catch with us is that it doesn’t include picking them up from the school and bringing them to the next place,” she said. “We all work, so that’s not an option for us.”

Some institutions are stepping in to help: Brooklyn Paper obtained a flyer from Bay Ridge Lutheran Elementary School advising District 20 parents to reach out for after-school support.

But what about the children who must leave school as soon as the bell rings?

students in classroom — Parents have limited time to decide where their children will go after school. Photo courtesy of John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit

“They may stay home alone, but that’s not a good choice in today’s world,” said Orsola Bonilla, program director of the Federations of Italian American Organizations, which did not receive funding for programs at five District 21 schools it serves. “There would be mischief with the older kids. Developmentally, they won’t understand how [mischief] is going to affect them.”

Some programs, like NIA, will offer paid after-school care at a cost of up to $3,000 per child. The expense could be prohibitive for many parents in Districts 20 and 21, who are already grappling with the high cost of living.

“If you have two kids, that’s $6,000,” said CEC20 President Stephen Stowe. “It’s really unaffordable. We’re not Manhattan Upper East Side schools here.”

The fact that parents will have to pay at all is infuriating to pols like Tannousis.

“This is something that this is the direct responsibility of the state to be able to fund these programs,” he said. “So students can go to school without any financial detriment to the parents. This is part of being a New York State taxpayer. This is where your taxes are supposed to go to.”

When Brooklyn Paper reached out to the Office of Children and Family Services, the agency acknowledged that it is aware of the struggles families are facing with after-school care. OCFS said it is working with politicians to help impacted families apply for the Child Care Assistance Program, which can cover child care costs. Eligible families will coordinate with the Administration for Children’s Services, which will handle their enrollment.

An OCFS spokesperson also noted that the agency will collaborate with elected officials to provide families with information on locating nearby providers and other programs offered by the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development and the New York City Department of Education. Additionally, the NYC Child Development Support Corporation, funded by OCFS, has a parent referral line with counselors available to support families.

The fight continues.

On Aug. 31, days before the first day of school, a small group of parents and CEC20 members in Bay Ridge protested the loss of after-school program funds. The protest began at P.S. 185 Walter Krassenbrock School, then moved to the offices of School District 20, and ended at P.S. 104. Protesters carried signs with messages such as “No child to be left behind,” “Funding for afterschool,” “Children’s safety should come before migrants,” and “Gov. Hochul failed D20 children.” Onlookers paused to read the signs and listen to speeches.

City Council Member Susan Zhuang and Assembly Member William Colton, whose districts include affected schools in District 21, attended the protest. The event was organized by Ken Li, who ran for State Senate in District 17 earlier this year and has a child at P.S./I.S. 30.

“They’re not thinking of our kids,” Li told the crowd. “It’s not making sense now. Everything is going bad. A lot of parents keep quiet, and they give up and want to leave New York. We’re still here, and we’ll stay together and fight together.”

william colton at after-school protest — Assembly Member William Colton (center) speaking at an Aug. 31 protest. Photo by Megan McGibney

Both Colton and Stowe criticized the bureaucracies involved, noting that the Board of Regents oversees the bureaucrats managing the LEAPs program and its criteria.

“NIA and FIAO passed the criteria, the minimum criteria,” Colton said. “We need to get straight answers and [bureaucrats] need to be held accountable to us.”

Colton also pledged to investigate the $100 million in grants allocated to OCFS, which were reportedly intended for after-school programs across the state.

Another protest is planned for Friday, Sept. 15, with the next CEC20 meeting slated to take place on Wednesday, Sept. 18. Velez is expected to attend, and Stowe is working to have a representative from OCFS attend remotely.

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How did we get here?

A push from local pols

One day away

The fight continues.