Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. has written a letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg outlining the potential damage the mayor’s proposed cuts to the Out of School Time (OST) after-school program would have on the Bronx. 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 after-school 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.
A copy of the letter can be found at: http://bit.ly/Ln2Ckz.