- [Narrator] Funding for this edition of State of Affairs with Steve Adubato has been provided by The Russell Berrie Foundation.

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[INSPRATIONAL MUSIC] - Hi, everyone, Steve Adubato.

We kick off the program with Dr.

Danielle Farrie, who is the research director at the Education Law Center.

Their website will come up right away.

Danielle, good to have you with us.

- Thank you for having me.

- Tell everyone what the Education Law Center is.

It's an important institution in the state.

- Yeah, and our Education Law Center is a nonprofit advocacy organization that works to enforce the rights of public school students in New Jersey and also nationally across the country.

- You have a concern.

You and your colleagues have a concern.

You've done research on special ed, special education funding.

First of all, what's the problem in special education and what does it have to do with the funding of special ed?

- So, from our perspective, the funding for special education is just not aligned with the needs of school districts.

So the way that New Jersey funds special education under the school of funding formula is what's called a census method.

So it assumes that every school district has the average classification rate and has the average cost, or you know, the average spending per special ed student.

And what we know is that that is not actually how special education works across the state.

So there are some districts that have very high classification rates and some that have low.

And so districts are not really being funded based on their actual students, either the number of students or the needs of students in terms of the severity of their disabilities - And the impact of that?

- So that causes a major funding concern for school districts.

So some districts are getting far less funding through the formula for special education than what they're required to actually fund to serve their students appropriately.

And when they don't have, you know, the funding through the special education categories, it just puts more pressure on the school district to find that- - Danielle, hold on one second.

I'm trying to move from the formula to the impact on the student.

Most people wanna understand, okay, so what's the impact on a child who is, I don't even like this, classified as a special education student?

What's the impact for that kid?

- aSo the impact on students with disabilities is that it becomes harder for them to receive the level of services that they're entitled to.

And it creates pressure within the entire school district so that students of all types are now in this funding crunch where the district is forced to make decisions about which programs are gonna get funded and which programs aren't gonna get funded.

And unfortunately, that often leads to students with disabilities not getting the level of services that they really need in order to thrive and, you know, reach their full potential.

- And those children with the disabilities that you talk about, if they don't get... I'm very caught up in impact, the impact on these students, on these young people, their lives.

If I'm not mistaken, and I'm no expert on this, there are long-lasting potential negative implications for those children.

Am I engaging in hyperbole right now?

- No, I don't think so.

I mean, I think that, you know, we have come a long way in this country in terms of understanding what students with disabilities need in order to succeed, both in school and, you know, long-term in terms of their, like lifelong outcomes.

And those students need supports along the way.

And if you are lacking those supports at the early stages, it only makes those students fall further and further behind.

And it makes it very hard for them to catch up and, you know, be able to live the life that they, you know, should be able to lead.

- So there's gonna be a new governor.

We're taping this program in mid-November.

There's a new governor, Governor Mikie.

Governor-elect as we speak.

She'll be the governor, Mikie Sherrill.

She'll have an education commissioner.

There'll be a whole infrastructure around education and special education.

What is the most tangible, practical advice you would give to the new governor and her administration as it relates to the children we're talking about in special education?

- I think that the number one thing that New Jersey should be focused on is figuring out a way to improve our inclusion of special ed students into the general education program.

New Jersey is one of the worst, if not the worst states, in terms of students who are classified the amount of time they spend in a general education environment.

So too often, our students with disabilities are basically segregated into separate classrooms or separate schools, and they don't interact with their peers or, you know, the other students in the school.

And one of the best ways that New Jersey could attack the problems in special education, both among funding side and from an achievement side, is to improve our inclusion rates so that students with disabilities are being educated among their school peers and not being segregated into separate environments.

- Last question here.

How did you get into this field and why do you clearly care as much as you do?

- So I actually came to education policy through sociology, and I studied basically the impact of segregation and stratification in public schools.

And so I was looking at it from a race and economic perspective, but obviously that's also translates into other areas, English learners, special education.

And yeah, that's how we ended up here.

- I take that back.

One more quick question.

Federal funding matters here as well.

The Trump administration as it relates to special education funding.

Help us understand where are they on this and how much has it helped or hurt?

- Yeah, so it's a little unclear right now.

The proposals for special education are not so much to cut... To basically leave funding levels flat, which is a problem because federal funding has been underfunded for special education for decades.

But then also, there has been talk about switching over to a block grant, which would give states much more flexibility in how they spend special ed money.

But that is also sort of subject to a lot of concern because federal government plays a very important role in oversight and monitoring to make sure that students with disabilities get the services that they are entitled to.

And so we're concerned about that.

- Dr.

Danielle Farrie, who is a research director at the Education Law Center.

Danielle, thank you so much for joining us.

We appreciate it.

- Thank you.

- You got it.

I'm Steve Adubato.

Stay with us, we'll be right back.

(grand music) - [Announcer] To see more State of Affairs with Steve Adubato programs, find us online and follow us on social media.

- We have her back by popular demand.

She's Michele Acito.

She is the Executive Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer at Holy Name, one of our longtime underwriters to fully disclose.

Michele, good to have you with us again.

- Thank you, Steve, great to be back.

- Great, hey, Michele, where are we as we we're actually doing this right before Thanksgiving and be seen later.

How are we doing with the nursing shortage?

- You know, Steve, we are in a much better place than we were five years ago during the pandemic.

And I think part of it was the pandemic.

People realized that nursing was a very important career, one where you could help people when they were struggling.

And we saw a significant enrollment in our Sister Claire Tynan School of Nursing.

And as those classes have graduated, we have found ourself in a much better place.

- Michele, I know that's not an easy answer because there are all types of people who go into nursing, but from your experience, who's going into nursing post-pandemic kind of folks?

- The people who are going into nursing post-pandemic are those who understand that there is more to life than just yourself in taking care of just yourself.

These are the people who know that they have something to give to society, that they have something to give to the people who need the most at the most vulnerable time in their life.

- Yeah, Michele, the other thing about nursing and nurses are clearly the backbone, if you will.

I do a lot of leadership coaching with physicians, and physicians will often make it clear that without nurses it doesn't work.

In that spirit, I'm curious about this.

Nurses are a key to creating greater trust in the public health system.

There's gonna be a graphic that comes up, Trust in Public Health.

Here's the question.

To what degree do you believe, Michele, and you've seen this for a few years in your profession, to what degree do you believe there's been a loss, a significant loss in trust in the public health system?

- You know, I really believe that part of that is people not trusting the evidence or trusting the science.

And I think that that's really something that we always have to remember, that evidence-based medicine and science that proves it is what we should always use as what leads us.

Nurses have always followed evidence-based practice.

And I believe that's why nurses have always, year after year, been nominated as the most trusted healthcare professional.

And we are very proud of that because we follow evidence-based practice.

We know that there are people out there doing research that makes sure every decision we make, every treatment we provide is the one that has balanced out as the most important.

And when you follow that, you can never go wrong.

- Along those lines.

I know all kinds of folks who are questioning our vaccines.

The efficacy, if you will, the safety, the effectiveness of vaccines, the graphic will come up, graphic will come up, Vaccines: What You Need to Know.

Please go to the New Jersey State Department of Health website.

It's got a special section on vaccines, which Michele knows well.

Talk to folks right now who are questioning, who have concerns, particularly about the MMR vaccine, with small children.

Talk to those folks, Michele.

- You know, the one thing I will say about vaccines is that vaccines save lives.

Vaccines save communities.

Vaccines are probably the greatest invention we've had in this country's lifetime.

And I suggest that anybody who has a small child meet with their healthcare provider and make sure you understand from that provider why they should or should not get the vaccine.

My theory has always been get vaccinated.

- How the heck did public health become political?

- I don't know, but it's really a shame that it has become political.

Because without vaccines that we have available today, literal communities would be wiped out.

And we know that from history, smallpox, chickenpox, flu, these are the things that we can prevent.

So it's important that we vaccinate our children and that as adults we remember to get vaccinated ourselves.

- As I said before, I'm a student of leadership.

Again, a lot of work in physician leadership, but nursing leadership, I'm curious about this.

Nurses are natural leaders, trained leaders, but they're either way, they're leaders.

How the heck do most nurses become the great leaders they are, Michele?

- I think we've become leaders because our patients rely on us and we quickly realize they look to us for advice and education.

And those are the two things that leaders can do.

So we advise them on the proper health during their hospitalization when they go home and we know that that's really important that they understand.

So we become educators at the same time.

- Partnerships are key.

And you have a variety of partnerships.

One of them is with Rowan University.

Talk about that.

- It's really important to us, you know, that enables our nurses to seamlessly obtain a Bachelor of Science degree.

It is well known that nurses with Bachelor of Science degree, those patients that they care for have a lower mortality and a better outcome.

So for our nurses to have the ability to obtain that Bachelor of Science degree and virtual is very important to us and to our nurses.

- You know, the other, other than partnerships is money.

No money, no mission.

Mike Maron, your CEO, we talk about this all the time.

You know it as well.

There is a grant, a gift, if you will, for scholarships that was created by the Sisters of St.

Joseph of Peace.

Are they nursing scholarships?

- Yes, these are nursing scholarships and they are named for the Sisters of St.

Joseph of Peace, who were themselves nurses, some of them leaders here at Holy Name, very well respected.

Our school of nursing, as a matter of fact, is named after one of our Sisters of St.

Joseph, Sister Claire Tynan.

And so, you know, they know the importance of nursing and caring for patients.

They were the founders of our hospital.

So to honor those nuns who were once with us and practice nursing here through scholarship was a great honor for all of us.

- So those nurses gave to these future nurses for their scholarships?

- The Sisters of St.

Joseph gave to Holy Name School of Nursing for the scholarship, yes.

- They continue to give back, even those who are no longer with us, but help provide those dollars.

Before I let you go, I'm curious about this.

I've asked you this before in previous interviews.

Go back on our website, SteveAdubato.org.

Look at previous interviews we've done with Michele.

I'm curious about this.

Your commitment to the nursing profession comes from where?

- My commitment to the nursing profession comes from the patient.

Everything stems to the patient.

If we can't do what's right by the patient, then we have completely failed as a profession.

And so every day we come into this organization and it's the patient first and foremost every day.

- When did you know you wanted to be a nurse?

- I knew I wanted to be a nurse while I was in high school.

As sophomore year as a matter of fact, I very distinctly remember thinking, "This is the profession that I wanna take."

- Was it, I'm curious.

I'm running out of time, but I wanna get this.

Was there someone in your life who was a nurse or where'd that come from?

- You know, it wasn't a family member.

It was really just learning about it.

And I thought, you know, this is exactly what I wanna do.

I wanna be there to help people through the good times and the bad.

Help them learn about good health maintenance.

And then when they did become a patient to help them through that, and then help with the discharge and the education so they knew how to move forward.

- Michele Acito, Executive Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer at Holy Name, one of our longtime underwriters.

Michele, I wish you and the team at Holy Name all the best and we look forward to future conversations about the nursing profession and the way you and your colleagues serve every day.

Thank you for the work you do.

Thank you, Michele.

- Thank you, Steve, thank you.

- You got it.

Stay with us, we'll be right back.

(grand music) - [Announcer] To see more State of Affairs with Steve Adubato programs, find us online and follow us on social media.

- Hey folks.

We're now joined by Julie Flores-Castillo, who is Youth Organizer at the American Friend Service Committee for the New Jersey Immigrant Rights Program.

Julie, good to see you again.

- Thank you so much for having me here today.

Really appreciate it.

- You got it.

And this is part of our "Making a Difference" series.

We're do in cooperation with the Russell Berrie Foundation.

You're a winner of the Making A Difference Award.

We're focusing on the next generation of leaders making a difference.

Tell folks exactly what the New Jersey Immigrant Rights Program is all about and the American Friends Service Committee, please.

- Through American Friends Service Committee and their New Jersey Immigrant Rights Program here in New Jersey has served for over 30 years providing legal services to the immigrant community and also pushing forward for advocacy and policies that help support immigrants here in the state.

And we also do different things with our social workers and also with youth.

- When you were 14, your life changed.

Talk about it.

- When I was 14, my father was deported during my freshman year of high school.

And after that experience, I experienced a lot of trauma and a lot of isolation.

But through the months pass, I actually met an organizer from AFSC, and that's how I was introduced to the world of advocacy and immigrant rights.

- So it's interesting, this horrific situation happens for you and your family.

You're isolated, as you said, you're dealing with trauma.

What caused you, Julie, to not simply get caught up in your own pain and suffering, but rather decide to help others?

- I think for me personally, it was a lot of factors, but one of the things that relates to the work that I do now with education immigration is my eighth grade teacher, Ms.

Cluck, who was a English teacher at Red Bank Middle School, and she talked about civil rights and the Farmer Workers Movement and to speak up for those who aren't seen and at a time without experiencing the trauma, I felt a sense of myself to do something, to learn more.

And I went up to the organizer for American Friend Service Committee here in Monmouth County, Itzel Hernandez.

And I decided right then and there to just share my experience.

Little did I know that it would completely change my life.

- Wow.

You're learning about the Farm Workers Movement, huh?

Let me ask you this, and by the way, people should research Cesar Chavez.

Did you learn about him and the kind of leader he was, talking about making a difference?

- Yes.

Unfortunately, that's the only type of Latin or Mexican American history that I've received here in the United States, or it's just his piece of history over and over again.

But I'm still thankful that I learned that little piece through my English teacher.

Although she wasn't a history teacher, she was teaching all these historical moments and all the moments that happened here in the United States because that gave me a sense of also doing more and a sense of how community and movement can lead to change.

- This is a civil rights issue on many levels.

Lemme follow up on this.

You've said to our producers, you've said publicly that one of your goals is to humanize immigration.

People often talk about the numbers.

How many people crossing the border, how many people not crossing the border right now?

How many people have been detained?

How many people have been taken off the streets by ICE?

Be they here illegally or not, be they having a criminal record or not?

That being said, what do you mean by humanize immigration, Julie?

- In addition to the question that you just asked me, also seeing immigrants as in numbers, as in they provide this much in taxes or many of them make up this kind of workforce.

And when I speak about humanizing the issue, I mean bringing it down so that people who are truly impacted by what's going on every day, immigration is not just a certain issue on either side.

It's an issue that's been affecting people for decades and decades.

There's been no immigration reform in over 30 to 40 years.

And I think most often than not, people forget that these issues affect people that they know, their neighbors, their teachers, students who attend these schools.

And so by me sharing my story, I try and humanize this issue because it's often divided by rhetoric and other stereotypes.

So that's what I try and do by sharing my story and letting others know that I'm not just the only one who's experienced a deportation.

If not, I know other students and young people who have experienced this as well.

- I appreciate and understand that you don't wanna talk about your dad in detail.

I respect that.

We all do.

But there's another side to this that I've been wondering about.

When I first saw you at the Russell Berrie Making a Difference Awards, I've been honored to host MC for 30 years now, before you're even, well before you're even born.

But I'm curious about this.

You're 21 right now, right?

- I actually turned 22 in September recently.

- Congratulations.

- Thank you.

- How do you think, since you talked about humanizing the issue of immigration, how do you think this experience, this fight, this advocacy, has changed you as a person?

- It's changed me as a person in several ways, but I would say for the better because I've been learning about myself, but also learning about how to be a good leader by opening doors for other young people, telling 'em about other opportunities, showing that even when times are very difficult, especially right now, even for young people who have experienced something like I have, there is a sense of community.

There's a village who's willing to fight for me, for other people, for so many others.

And that through all this, resilience will always overcome.

So in that sense, that's how it's truly changed me through knowing that resilience exists in all different types of ways.

- Hmm.

This isn't a political question, but people will take whatever they choose to take from it.

But what would you say to, given your experience, not just personally, but also as an advocate, what would you say to the president?

What would you say to ICE agents, be they masked or not?

Saying all we're really trying to do is remove people who are here illegally.

That's it.

We're just abiding by the law.

You say what to them?

- I would say that this isn't just about immigration.

If not, what we're experiencing right now is a constitutional crisis, whether that be for immigrants and for residents and US citizens overall.

This isn't just an immigration crisis that we're experiencing.

This is a constitutional crisis where we have seen US citizens and other people who have been here legally, who have been detained and have been deported without due process.

So this is a constitutional crisis.

- Have you become more political through this?

- I've always been very political.

- Really?

- I've always been very political.

I would say, after my experience, that's what pushed me to learn more about immigration.

And not just that, but how this country truly works, how government works, but also how to get involved in local politics and also being a candidate myself.

- Are you running for office?

Are you thinking of running for office?

- I'm currently an elected county committee woman for the Red Bank Democratic Party, and I also just recently ran for Red Bank School Board as a- - By the way, that thumbs up was not for the Democratic Party, it is for Julie getting more involved.

Last thing before I let you go, message to other young people who say, "What's the difference what I do?

"The the world is going to hell in a hand basket," which is a weird expression, "But I can't make a difference."

You're making a difference, message to them right now.

Go ahead.

- My message to young people is to not fall into this nihilism, to not fall into this pessimistic attitude, but if not, truly see that there's other young people that are getting motivated and who are getting out and doing something, and to please not let what's going on discourage them in any way because there is so much more and there's always going to be a fight that's worth fighting for.

- Julie, I've said this a million times, well, not a million, but a lot.

I teach, coach, write and try to learn about leadership every day.

I'm pretty sure I know a strong leader when I see her and I see that leader in you, and I wish you all the best, your family all the best, and consider this this space a safe space to share your thoughts and to have a conversation moving forward.

Thank you, Julie.

Appreciate it.

- Thank you so much.

I deeply appreciate it.

- You got it.

I'm Steve Adubato, that's a real leader.

We'll see you next time.

- [Narrator] State of Affairs with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by The Russell Berrie Foundation.

EJI, Excellence in Medicine Awards.

A New Jersey health foundation program.

PSE&G.

Valley Bank.

Kean University.

New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

The New Jersey Education Association.

And by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Promotional support provided by BestofNJ.com.

And by CIANJ, and Commerce Magazine.

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