Riley asks about confidence in handling six-fold increase

Proposing going from 2,000 seats to 12,000 seats in fall 2027, what gives you the confidence that the systems that are currently experiencing contracting and payment challenges will be able to successfully handle a six-fold increase in enrollment?

So I'm happy to start, and then I'll pass to my colleague.

But, you know, I think some of the payment and contracting delays that we saw this year, you know, as the mayor has said publicly, are unacceptable and do not represent the way that we as a city believe that we should be working hand-in-hand with our providers.

So our focus over the last couple months has been both to ensure that every provider had what they needed, that we were working quickly to register contracts and issue interest-free loans for providers who needed funding in the interim.

And at the same time, we are building new systems, rebuilding the sort of human capital and systems infrastructure to support this growth.

So the administration has committed to significant procurement reform, increased transparency for providers, and increased timeliness in the processing.

And then many of the staff that Deputy Chancellor Phillips has referenced to are coming on board will allow us to ensure more timely contracting and payment actions.

And so with all of that and the administration's laser focus on expanding, but expanding in a way that supports providers, we do feel confident about reaching the 12,000 seats.

Okay.