Council presses CUNY to baseline retention programs and address community college repairs

Council members from the finance and higher-education committees pressed CUNY leaders on May 12 as the university system presented its FY27 executive budget request and testimony.

In opening remarks, Council Member Linda Lee noted the administration’s FY27 executive financial plan totals $124.7 billion and that CUNY’s FY27 executive budget is $1.57 billion, an increase driven in part by a $15 million city restoration that CUNY said will be baselined. Lee and co-chair Rita Joseph urged the mayor and the administration to go further by baselining evidence-based student-retention programs that the council had proposed restoring in its preliminary budget response.

Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez said CUNY had seen enrollment gains — nearly 4 percent year over year and about a 9 percent increase since fall 2022 — concentrated at the community college level, and that programs such as ASAP and ACE produce measurable improvements in retention and graduation rates. Matos Rodriguez told the committee that baselining recurring funds is essential to planning and sustaining multi-year services and contracts.

Council members asked for campus-level detail on how the $15 million restoration will be allocated. CUNY finance staff said the FY27 restoration is spread across community colleges, naming allocations including BMCC ($4.6 million), LaGuardia ($3.0 million), Kingsborough ($2.5 million), Queensborough ($2.0 million), Bronx Community College ($1.4 million), Hostos ($1.0 million) and Gutman (about $270,000). Committee members requested a written breakdown and confirmation that the distribution methodology will be preserved in out years.

Members pressed CUNY on why the executive plan did not baseline the council’s requested $22.5 million for retention supports — funds intended for programs such as ASAP, ACE and Reconnect — even though CUNY’s testimony emphasized those programs’ effectiveness. Provost Alvaro provided program numbers: for the 2024–25 academic year, ASAP served about 39,299 students with a one-year retention rate of 65.6 percent and a three-year graduation rate of 34.6 percent; ACE enrollment was reported at roughly 5,603 students; Reconnect served about 25,342 students in 2025–26. CUNY officials said they will follow up with more precise per‑student cost figures and asked the council to support baselining these initiatives.

Capital repairs at community colleges were another focus. Council members cited campus reports of leaking roofs, elevator outages and safety issues; they sought CUNY’s plan to prioritize projects from the $50 million city commitment that the chancellor said is expected to be matched by the state. CUNY staff described a facilities-assessment approach that prioritizes campus size, infrastructure condition and imminent system failures.

Committee members also questioned CUNY about new initiatives — including CUNY Beyond, a workforce and internship expansion that the chancellor said will grow from roughly $2.2 million in FY26 to about $12.5 million in FY27 using a mix of state, city and philanthropic funds — and asked for greater clarity on projected outcomes and which campuses will be included in the expansion.

What’s next: Council members asked for follow-up material on program costs per student, campus allocations for the restored $15 million, a clearer timeline for capital repairs, and additional metrics on CUNY Beyond outcomes. CUNY committed to provide those details in writing to the committee.