We would like to thank the New York City Council’s Committee on Education for holding this important oversight hearing on the City’s FY2026 Preliminary Budget. My name is Lori Podvesker, and I am the Director of Policy at INCLUDEnyc. For over 40 years, INCLUDEnyc (formerly known as Resources for Children with Special Needs) has helped hundreds of thousands of NYC families navigate the complex special education service and support systems.
We commend the mayor and the City Council for making critical investments last year in vital programs, staff, and services that were at risk due to temporary federal dollars and city funds. While the City base-lined many of these programs, such as Summer Rising and Learning to Work, it only funded other programs for one year, leaving many of them at risk of being cut unless extended in the FY2026 budget.
This includes $55 million for additional preschool special education classes not included in the FY2026 preliminary budget, despite their growing need. According to the Council’s Report on the Fiscal 2026 Preliminary Plan for the Committee on Education, six hundred preschoolers with disabilities are waiting for placements, and five thousand eight hundred eighty-seven preschoolers are not receiving all their mandated special education services or receive no services at all.
We are very concerned with how the city will address any potential cuts in the $2 billion federal funding it receives if it is unable to collect, including the near $300 million in funding the city gets for related services such as speech, occupational, and physical therapy, and psychological services such as counseling, as mandated per the federal special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). We are equally concerned about a potential shortfall in the $686 million targeted for Title 1 funding.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify. We look forward to working together and partnering with you to improve equity and access for all young people with disabilities in New York City.
Sincerely,
Lori PodveskerDirector of Disability and Education Policy