Community Board 2 committee backs $500,000 NYSED funding request to expand science-of-reading in teacher prep

Community Board 2's Schools and Education Committee on March heard a presentation from Emily Helmstrom, co‑founder and director of external affairs and strategy for the Literacy Academy Collective, and discussed a resolution urging the state to include $500,000 in NYSED funding to implement the New York State Path Forward action plan to expand evidence‑based reading instruction in educator preparation programs.

Helmstrom framed the work as urgent and systemic. “We believe that literacy is a civil right,” she said, and pointed to recent national assessment data she described as poor — she cited that roughly 31 percent of New York State students were reading at or above proficiency on recent NAEP results and noted much lower rates for some student groups. Helmstrom described the Literacy Academy Collective’s South Bronx Literacy Academy (an in‑district public school serving students with dyslexia and other language‑based learning needs) and plans for a Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy in District 17, and she outlined a statewide initiative, the New York State Path Forward action plan, intended to align educator preparation with evidence‑based literacy practices.

Why it matters: Committee members were told the proposal targets teacher preparation—higher education programs and certification standards—so that new teachers enter classrooms trained in the “science of reading.” Helmstrom said the Path Forward steering committee includes representatives from NYSED, the Board of Regents, CUNY and SUNY, independent colleges and other higher‑education leaders, and that the initiative is working to produce a common framework, a baseline reflection tool for educator‑prep programs, a data dashboard, and a state program‑review process tied to certification and regulation.

Details the committee heard: Helmstrom said Literacy Academy Collective (LAC) has raised about $4 million and expects to raise up to $6 million to subsidize pilots with 9–12 educator preparation programs (three to four SUNY, three to four CUNY, and three to four private institutions). She described a three‑year Path Forward timeline: the framework was due to be released March 30, pilots were planned to begin in June, and the program-review work would be phased over multiple years. NYSED, Helmstrom said, agreed the program review would require 2–4 new staff; LAC and the committee were asking the state legislature to include $500,000 in the budget to support NYSED in standing up that review capacity.

LAC school and pilot work: Helmstrom described South Bronx Literacy Academy as serving students who entered well below grade level (she said the group’s intake average was the fourth percentile this year) and reported student‑level gains on multiple benchmarks (she said 47 of 63 students made measurable progress on the benchmark used and cited multiples of expected growth on early literacy measures). She also described a District 1 summer pilot funded by a Trinity Wall Street grant that will train teachers and serve more than 120 students across eight District 1 schools.

Committee action and next steps: Committee Chair Patricia Larry introduced a draft resolution “in support of a $500,000 funding for NYSED to advance the integration of science of reading into educator preparation programs and certification standards.” The committee discussed the resolution but did not have a quorum to vote; the item will be circulated for consideration at the full board and returned for a vote at a later date. Committee members repeatedly emphasized that the request is intended to fund sustained NYSED capacity to perform program reviews tied to the Path Forward framework rather than one‑time technical assistance.

Context and other discussion: Members asked about timelines and where pilot activity is occurring. Helmstrom said the organization opened its first in‑district school in the South Bronx and plans the Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy (CBLA) for District 17 with priority for several neighboring districts. Janine Kiley, identified in the meeting as a co‑founder of LAC and chair of LAC’s board, described earlier community negotiations over an NYU rezoning option to build a public school site downtown; that discussion concerned an unrelated property option and the history of promises made in the rezoning, and committee members asked staff to keep that option on the board’s radar.

Public comment and new business: Committee members raised a separate new‑business item — a letter cited as from Congressman Dan Goldman concerning proposed cuts to a USDA program that purchases food for schools and food banks. Committee members asked staff to research that federal budget item and consider a subsequent resolution to urge congressional action.

The committee did not take a formal recorded vote at the meeting because it lacked a quorum; the resolution and related materials will be circulated to committee members and considered at the full board.