Today, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz
Jr. released a letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg outlining the potential
damage the mayor’s proposed cuts to the Out of School Time (OST)
afterschool program would have on the Bronx. In the letter, Borough
President Diaz urges Mayor Bloomberg to commit to fully funding these
critical programs.
“The
families of New York City must continue to have access to quality
services and afterschool programming. We must work to make sure that
all of our Bronx students are prepared for success in and out of school
and that we provide safe alternatives to during after school hours,”
wrote Borough President Diaz in his letter.
The
Out-of-School Time (OST) Program provides a mix of academic,
recreational and cultural activities for young people (grades K-12)
after school, during holidays and in the summer. Programs are free of
charge and are located in every neighborhood across the City.
The
Bloomberg administration’s proposed cuts would lead to a 43 percent
reduction in OST service in the Bronx. In addition, the administration
has already announced that the Beacon Program at I.S. 192 in Throggs
Neck—which served more than 1,300 Bronx students this past year alone—is
also scheduled to close.
“Our
working families rely on these programs to provide their children with a
safe place to both catch up on school work and socialize after classes.
In a down economy—when families need all the help they can to make ends
meet—these programs are even more important. Mayor Bloomberg must
restore these destructive cuts,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz
Jr.
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