AFC’s testimony urges the Council to extend and baseline funding for several impactful education programs whose funding will expire at the end of June, including immigrant family outreach; restorative justice; the Mental Health Continuum; Sensory Exploration, Education, & Discovery (SEED) programs; Learning to Work; and more. We also urge the City to make new investments to help address systemic violations, better support students, and save money in the long run, including funding to:

• Address the shortage of service providers for students with disabilities;
• Expand effective reading intervention for middle and high school students;
• Hire behavioral specialists to support schools in meeting the behavioral and mental health needs of students;
• Hire English Language Learner (ELL) instructional specialists; and
• Provide interim transportation for students in foster care waiting for school bus service to begin.

In addition, the Коалиция ARISE (coordinated by AFC) is testifying on the need for increased funding to make more schools accessible to students, family members, and educators with physical disabilities. The Transition Alliance (also coordinated by AFC) is testifying on the need for increased funding to expand travel training for students with disabilities.

The Коалиция за справедливое финансирование образования (CEEF), which is co-coordinated by AFC, also testified at the hearing, calling on the City to provide long-term funding for key programs and services at risk of funding cuts.