Re: Immediate Reconsideration of Middle School Afterschool Contract Awards and Restoration of Manhattan Youth Partnerships

 

Dear Mayor Mamdani, DYCD, DOE Leadership, Council Members, and Community Education Council Members,

We, the undersigned PTA Presidents, write in strong opposition to the recent DYCD decision to replace longstanding middle school afterschool providers with new organizations that, in many cases, lack demonstrated middle school experience and established relationships within our school communities.

We respectfully urge immediate reconsideration of these decisions and request the restoration of Manhattan Youth partnerships for schools seeking continuity for the 2026–2027 school year.

This decision was made through a rushed and opaque process that excluded the very stakeholders most impacted by the outcome — students, families, teachers, School Leadership Teams, PTA leadership, and broader school communities. We are deeply troubled both by the process itself and by the substance of the contract awards.

 

Our Requests

We respectfully call upon DYCD, DOE leadership, and City Hall to:

• Pause implementation of the newly awarded middle school afterschool on contracts
• Reinstate Manhattan Youth partnerships for schools requesting continuity
• Release a transparent explanation of the provider selection and ranking process
• Provide schools and communities with a formal appeal mechanism
• Ensure future decisions prioritize demonstrated middle school expertise, student well-being, program quality, and community trust

 

Background and Process Concerns

On May 15, 2026, school communities learned that multiple middle school afterschool contracts had been awarded to new providers, replacing Manhattan Youth, which has served many Manhattan middle schools successfully for more than a decade.

Many principals who strongly supported continuing with Manhattan Youth were informed that alternative providers had been selected for their schools despite concerns regarding provider experience, program quality, or overall fit for their school communities. To the best of our knowledge, Manhattan Youth was ranked more highly by school leadership than several of the providers ultimately selected.  Thus, while the claim is that the process was fair, the evidence belies that because Manhattan Youth was ranked higher than IF, the program that is slated to replace them. 

Based on information shared with our communities, principals were directed to participate in a closed-door ranking process in which they were required to rank providers they did not necessarily support or want for their schools. Principals were reportedly instructed not to discuss the process with key stakeholders, including PTA leadership, School Leadership Teams, teachers, staff, families, or Community Education Councils.

There was no meaningful opportunity for public input, no transparency regarding evaluation criteria, and no appeals process. Families learned of decisions affecting thousands of students only after selections had already been finalized. This level of secrecy and exclusion is unacceptable for decisions that directly affect student safety, enrichment, family logistics, mental health, and school culture.

 

DYCD has also not provided clear explanations regarding:

• Why some schools were permitted to retain Manhattan Youth while others were not
• How providers were evaluated for middle school readiness and operational capacity
• What weight was given to principal recommendations and existing school relationships
• Why agencies with limited demonstrated middle school experience were selected for some of Manhattan’s largest middle school programs

 

Concerns Regarding Provider Experience and Program Quality

Many of the newly selected providers appear to have limited experience operating comprehensive middle school afterschool programs of the size, complexity, and quality currently provided in our schools.

For example, the Imogen Foundation (IF), assigned to MS104, ASL, SALK, and the Ella Baker School, does not appear to have experience operating large-scale middle school programs or competitive athletics programming. In addition, IF reportedly does not permit outside partnerships, potentially jeopardizing longstanding relationships with established and highly valued afterschool vendors and enrichment providers.

Similarly, Wagner Middle School has reportedly been assigned NYJTL, a tennis-focused organization with limited middle school presence in Manhattan schools, primarily servicing other boroughs.

Another concern is situations where the schools will lose many efficiencies due to poor decision making. The Anderson School, Dual-Language MS and The Computer School share a building but next year they will have different after-school providers. This will require duplication of efforts and loss of many shared resources and spaces. For example, Dual-Language participated jointly in many sports teams with the Computer School. 

Families deserve clarity regarding how these providers were determined to be qualified to serve large and diverse middle school communities and why successful, deeply integrated existing partnerships are being dismantled.

 

The Value of Manhattan Youth Partnerships

For more than a decade, Manhattan Youth has been deeply integrated into many of our school communities. Families frequently cite the quality of afterschool programming as a meaningful factor when choosing our schools.

These programs provide academic enrichment, arts programming, journalism, debate, chess, STEM opportunities, competitive athletics, academic support, and safe, structured environments for students after school hours.

Just as importantly, Manhattan Youth staff members are not interchangeable contractors. Coaches, instructors, and program leaders have become trusted adults and integral members of our school communities. They have built longstanding relationships with students, families, teachers, counselors, principals, and administrators over many years.

This continuity matters profoundly.

Middle school is an especially vulnerable and formative period socially, emotionally, and academically. At a time when adolescent anxiety, depression, and broader youth mental health concerns continue to rise nationwide, maintaining consistent relationships with trusted adults should be a priority, not an afterthought.

Afterschool staff often serve as mentors, role models, coaches, and stabilizing figures in students’ lives. Abruptly dismantling these established relationships risks undermining the trust, stability, and sense of belonging that students and families rely upon.

These programs also possess years of institutional knowledge regarding how best to support the academic, social, emotional, artistic, and athletic needs of our large and diverse student populations. That level of community integration and understanding cannot simply be recreated overnight.

 

Potential Impact on Teachers and School Staff

We are also concerned about the broader staffing implications these changes may create within our schools.

Many teachers and paraprofessionals supplement their income through afterschool instruction, coaching, arts programming, and academic support roles connected to Manhattan Youth. For many paraprofessionals in particular, this supplemental income is essential to remaining financially viable in New York City.

Eliminating these opportunities may create ripple effects that extend directly into classrooms, potentially impacting staff retention, morale, and continuity for some of our most vulnerable students during the school day.

 

Conclusion

Making sweeping changes to successful and trusted afterschool programs without transparency, stakeholder engagement, or demonstrated justification does not serve students or families. Instead, it creates unnecessary disruption, damages community trust, and destabilizes support systems that students depend upon every day.

The current process has already generated significant confusion, frustration, and uncertainty across our school communities. We strongly urge DYCD, DOE leadership, and City Hall to reconsider these decisions before lasting harm is done to programs that have successfully served our children for years.

Our students deserve continuity, trusted relationships, proven programming, and decision-making processes grounded in transparency, accountability, and genuine community engagement.

 

Respectfully,

 

PTA Presidents

Gilberte Lal, PTA President, MS104 Simon Baruch Sharon A. D’Agostino, PTA Vice President, Wagner Middle School Mary Shay, PTA Co-President, Yorkville East Middle School Susan Eastwood, PTA Co-Vice President, Yorkville East Middle School Charlene Wilkinson Perkins, PTA Co-President, SLT Member, PS340 (incoming parent of MS104) Rebecca Beyer Winik, PTA Co-President, PS340 (incoming parent of MS104) Martha Sciaraffo, PA President, MS245: The Computer School Evan Stein, PA Co-President, MS255: Salk School of Science Lisa Marks, SLT, MS312: Lab Middle School Efrat Sternberg-Urbelis, PA Co-President, MS255: Salk School of Science Julie Clarke, PTA Co-President and SLT member, PS183 (incoming parent MS167: Wagner Middle School) Susannah Butscher, PA President, School of the Future Manhattan