SUBJECT:

PURPOSE:

NYS Assembly Hearing Room
Room 1923
250 Broadway
New York, New York
Tuesday, December 6, 2005
10:00 AM

According to its internet site, the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) claims to be involved in “Strengthening communities, schools and families through prevention...” Governor George Pataki's SFY 2005 - 2006 Executive budget submission, however, cut $3.1 million from the OASAS budget containing funding for drug and alcohol abuse prevention services in the New York City schools.

If the SFY 2005 - 2006 Executive budget had been ratified in the form it was submitted, a school district that serves over 1 million children would have been forced to cut teaching drug and alcohol prevention strategies to its students. This cut in services could have had dire consequences. Yet, the Legislature intervened, restoring the $3.1 million to fund this critical school-based program.

The Assembly Standing Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, which spearheaded efforts to restore funding to New York City Schools for their prevention programs, is holding a public hearing to examine the subsequent use of these funds. Persons wishing to provide expert testimony on the efficacy of the in-school drug and alcohol prevention programs in NYC or on the possible impact of cuts to these programs are invited to do so.

Please see below for a list of subjects to which witnesses may direct their testimony, and for a description of the bills which will be discussed at the hearing.

Persons wishing to present pertinent testimony to the Committee at the above hearing should complete and return the reply form as soon as possible. It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of emergency postponement or cancellation.

Oral testimony will be limited to 5 minutes' duration. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Committee will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. These requests should be made on the attached reply form or communicated to Committee staff as early as possible. In the absence of a request, witnesses will be scheduled in the order in which reply forms are postmarked.

Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Committee would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.

In order to further publicize these hearings, please inform interested parties and organizations of the Committee's interest in hearing testimony from all sources.

In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.

SELECTED ISSUES TO WHICH WITNESSES MAY DIRECT THEIR TESTIMONY:

1. How many students receive instruction on drug and alcohol abuse prevention in the NYC schools? How is such instruction organized? How could such instruction be improved?

2. Are there specific indicators for the success of school-based prevention programs? If so, how does the program in the NYC schools perform?

3. Does the New York City Department of Education effectively spend monies allocated to it by the State of New York for drug and alcohol abuse prevention programs? Could this money be better utilized? Have there been changes in the ability of the Department of Education to effectively utilize prevention money allocated by OASAS since the adoption of the SFY 2005-2006 budget?

4. How much of the funding provided by New York State is spent on actual prevention instruction, and how much is used for administrative functions? Is the current ratio of instruction to administration appropriate?

5. If state funding for prevention education were cut as had been proposed by Governor Pataki, would there have been other funding sources available to offset the loss of state funds?

6. What would be the impact of significant cuts to drug and alcohol prevention instruction in the NYC schools?

7. If the Governor moves to cut funding for NYC school-based prevention programs in the SFY 2006-2007 budget, should the Legislature restore funding to these programs? Should the NYC Department of Education be required to provide proof that it has effectively spent the monies allocated to it for school-based prevention programs?

PUBLIC HEARING REPLY FORM

Persons wishing to present testimony at the public hearing on “Funding Drug and Alcohol Prevention in NYC Schools” are requested to complete this reply form as soon as possible and mail it to:

Bill Eggler
Senior Legislative Analyst
Assembly Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse
Room 522 - Capitol
Albany, New York 12248
Email: egglerw@assembly.state.ny.us
Phone: (518) 455-4371

I will address my remarks to the following subjects:

I will require assistance and/or handicapped accessibility information. Please specify the type of assistance required: