Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
On October 7, 2026, at 12:00 PM in Hearing Room 3, 250 Broadway, the Committee on Education, chaired by Councilmember Eric Dinowitz, met to vote on proposed Intro 684-A, a local law requiring a study on how language access needs and geographic location affect access to early elementary gifted and talented programs. The committee approved the legislation by a vote of 12 to 0, with Councilmember Farías not voting. The bill now advances from committee with an amendment.
Good afternoon and welcome to today's New York City Council vote for Committee on Education. At this time, during today's vote, no one may approach the dais. Please silence any electronic devices you may have. Chair, you may begin. Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Councilmember Eric Dinowitz, Chair of the Committee on Education. Um, welcome and thank you to my colleagues who are present. Councilmember Zhuang, uh Delarosa, Shulman, Brewer, Lewis, Narcisse, Wong, and Krishnan. Today the committee is, and on Zoom we have Councilmember Lee. Today the committee is voting on proposed introduction number 684A, sponsored by Councilmember Zwang, a local law in relation to requiring a study on how language access needs and geographic location affect access to early elementary gifted and talented programs. Before enrolling a child in kindergarten, families must know that early elementary gifted and talented programs exist. Understand how a child may be considered, and navigate application deadlines, often in a second or third language. Whether a family gets through those steps should not depend on the language spoken at home or the neighborhoods they live in. Yet today, the city cannot tell us whether it does. This bill, this bill seeks to change that. It requires the mayor's office of child care and early childhood education, working with the Department of Education and community-based early childhood providers to study how language access needs and geography affect eligibility, nomination, and enrollment in early elementary gifted and talented programs for kindergarten through third grade. The study has four components. An evaluation of the barriers families with limited English proficiency face at each step from first hearing about these programs to enrollment, a review of the translation, interpretation, and outreach the city currently conducts, a breakdown of disparities by language group, borough, community district, and community school district, and recommendations aimed at multilingual households and underserved areas. If passed, the findings must be publicly posted within a year. Recognizing and supporting the diverse learning needs of our children is critical to ensuring a thriving and successful school system. Others may disagree about the importance of future of these programs, but every family deserves an equal opportunity to understand and navigate the current process. Access to an existing public school program should not depend on family zip code or how well a parent speaks English. This bill will give the city the information it needs to make that happen, and I'm proud to support it as a co-sponsor. I will now turn it to Councilmember Zhuang for uh comments about her bill. Thank you, Chair, and thank you to be the co-sponsor of the bill, Intro 684. Today we are asking, I'm asking our colleagues to support our children and the families across New York City. Intro 684 take an important step toward making sure every child has a fair opportunity to access gifted and a talented education program. As a mom with kids in our city's public schools, I know how important it is for families to have access to those opportunities. But too many families, like immigrant families, low income and the minority families face barriers that can make this opportunity field out of reach. So intro 684 helps us better understand those gaps, like how language access location affects who learn about those programs and who get in them. Passing intro 684 is critical today for access and the equity for all. And the better yet, tomorrow we are holding a press conference in front of the Department of Education to continue advocating for increased educational access for children, because every child in York City deserves the fair shot at great education. Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember Zhuang. And thank you to my staff and the education committee staff, senior council Alejandro Carvajal, senior policy analyst Chloe Rivera, policy analyst Katie Selena, as well as principal financial analyst Andrew Lane Lawless, and senior financial analyst Grace Amato. I will now turn to the clerk to call the roll. Thank you. Ben Jacobs, committee clerk, committee on education. This is the roll call vote for intro 684A.