Lander’s Report Critiques Adams’ After-School Expansion Amidst Growing Criticism of Lander’s Own Actions

In a report released by Comptroller Brad Lander, the first year of Mayor Eric Adams’ expansion of after-school programs has faced significant criticism for leaving several high-need schools in New York City without access to new resources. The findings suggest that the expansion has disproportionately excluded certain areas, raising concerns among parents and community advocates.

Beginning this fall, the program will introduce 5,000 new after-school spots across 40 schools, supported by a million investment in child care. While the initiative aims to bolster support for families in the Bronx and other underserved regions, many schools in Brooklyn and Queens, along with all Manhattan district schools and programs designed for students with significant disabilities, were notably excluded from this funding allocation.

Critics, including Lander, have pointed out that the city’s approach appears to favor certain neighborhoods over others, which raises questions about equity in the distribution of educational resources. Lander, a supporter of mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, has emphasized the need for a fairer distribution of after-school seats, particularly for students with disabilities who seem to be entirely overlooked in this rollout.

In defense of the expansion, a spokesperson for Mayor Adams criticized the Comptroller’s analysis for failing to consider the wider landscape of after-school programs already in operation. The administration has asserted that careful consideration was given to community needs during the selection process of schools for the expansion, claiming that the new schools selected have a higher concentration of students from low-income families compared to the city’s overall average.

The Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) stated that they employed a data-driven approach in selecting the schools for the expansion, ensuring that they prioritized areas lacking existing after-school programming. Despite the challenges highlighted in Lander’s report, DYCD officials stressed that over 1,000 previously funded after-school programs remain operational in New York City.

An analysis of the distribution of funds indicates that many neighborhoods with high levels of economic need were left without any new after-school seats. For example, in parts of Brooklyn such as Crown Heights and East New York, only one district and one charter school received new funding, while other areas were largely ignored.

Meanwhile, schools such as P.S. 171 in Astoria and P.S. 76 in Long Island City, which have significant student populations from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, were left out of the initial expansion. Local advocates have expressed frustration, stating that many schools are struggling to secure necessary funding to maintain after-school services.

As the discussion surrounding this program continues, the City Council has scheduled an oversight hearing on the expansion for September 18. This forthcoming deliberation may provide an opportunity for further scrutiny of the program’s implementation and its impact on the city’s most vulnerable students.