DYCD Commissioner Sandra Escamilla Davies Details FY27 Budget and Savings

And Lee and members of the Finance and Children and Youth Committee.

I am Commissioner Sandra Scamilla Davies, and I am joined by Chief Financial Officer Navida Bailey and other DYC staff who are here and available to answer your questions today.

Thank you for the opportunity to discuss DYCD's fiscal year 2027 executive budget.

Since becoming commissioner, I have spent the past few three months listening and learning from staff, providers, and partners across the city.

What has become clear is that DYCD is powered by extraordinary dedicated workforce and a provider network that continues to deliver critical services for children, youth, and families every day.

As the agency has grown significantly over the years, both in scale and complexity, my team and I are taking a thoughtful look at how our internal infrastructures, staffing, operational systems support that work.

This includes examining areas such as procurement, contracting, payments, program operations, and performance management so that DYCD can continue to operate in a way that is responsive, effective, and aligned with the evolving needs of New Yorkers.

At the same time, we are engaging providers and community partners to better understand both operational challenges and opportunities for innovation across our programs and services.

These conversations are helpful to inform how we strengthen and broad and broaden the ecosystem that supports young people and families across this great city.

The executive budget presented today reflects Mayor Mamdani's vision for a more affordable, equitable, and safer New York City and demonstrates a continued commitment to the children, youth families, and communities that DYCD serves every day.

Despite broader fiscal pressures facing the city, the budget protects DYCD's core programming and continues to invest in services and opportunities that support young people and strengthen communities across all five boroughs.

DYCD proposed a series of savings totaling 10.9 million in the current fiscal year, 34.8 million next year, and 32.7 million in the outer years.

This includes savings from conducting audit functions in-house, along with savings from readjustments to cost estimates.

The budget stands at 1.619 billion compared to 1.633 billion in fiscal 2027 preliminary budget.

And the breakdown is as follows: 1.5 billion in tax levy funds, 105.4 million in federal funds, 18.4 million or about 1.13% in state funding, and 5.2 million in intra-city funds.

These resources support a wide range of investments across the agency's portfolio.

While not an exhaustive list, I want to highlight several key initiatives that reflect how these funds strengthen services for young people, families, and communities across the city.