Brooklyn – The four Councilmembers leading the effort to restore Priorty 7 vouchers met with ACS Commissioner John Mattingly and his top staff in what was described as a “frank” conversation on the implications of the proposed elimination of the vouchers from this year’s budget. Councilmembers David Greenfield (D-Boro Park), Brad Lander (D-Park Slope), Steve Levin (D-Williamsburg) and Letitia James (D-Crown Heights) spent over an hour on Friday afternoon meeting at the headquarters of the Administration for Child Services in Manhattan.

“We met to explain the unprecedented negative impact that this budget cut would have on the Orthodox Jewish community,”said Councilman David Greenfield. “We had a frank conversation about the injustice of balancing the city’s budget on the backs of the Orthodox Jewish community.”

Several other important points were also discussed at this meeting.

Specifically, many families have already moved to Priority 5, which explains the decrease in the Priority 7 program cost from $16 million in FY 2010 to $12 million in FY 2011.  If Priority 7 is eliminated, hundreds of eligible children may be added to Priority 5, which ACS officials have acknowledged and will welcome during the recertification period.

Recognizing the staggering multi-billion dollar deficit in the upcoming budget, the Councilmembers discussed what the Priority 7 program would look like next year if they were successful in persuading City Hall to restore some, but not all, of the funds. Rather than having many children thrown off of Priority 7, the Councilmembers discussed the possibility of maintaining the program but charging parents a portion of the cost.

“This was one of the most difficult conversations that I have had with a government official,” explained Greenfield. “However, as the representatives of the Orthodox Jewish community in New York, my colleagues and I will not sit quietly by while our community’s child care is decimated. Thanks to the combined leadership of Councilmembers Steve Levin, Brad Lander, Letitia James and Lew Fidler, we have kept this issue alive at City Hall, and we will keep Priority 7 as our top priority until the budget is passed.”

The city must pass its budget no later than July 1st, making this week the most critical one in budget negotiations between the Mayor and the City Council.

(YWN Desk – NYC)