Overview
- DYCD announced the rebid results on May 14 after reviewing thousands of proposals and awarded new COMPASS contracts that expand capacity by roughly 10,000 seats and run through 2032.
- Manhattan Youth lost awards at about 12 Manhattan middle schools, prompting the organization to say it is reviewing results and exploring a formal appeal.
- Parents and PTA leaders have launched petitions and rallies that have gathered several thousand signatures to demand clearer explanations of the selection process and to press for program continuity.
- DYCD says most of the city’s roughly 927 COMPASS sites kept their providers and that the new process let principals rank multiple applicants, but critics say the change reduced transparency and in some cases ignored principal and community preferences.
- Advocates warn the switch creates near‑term operational risks for Summer Rising and fall staffing, jeopardizes extracurricular partnerships and middle‑school sports leagues, and raises questions about whether some incoming groups can scale quickly.