Is overcrowding for real? Yes, says Ed committee

By Kate McNeil

Overcrowded schools were the hot topic at the meeting of the Education Committee of Community Board 8 held May 20.

Enlisting the help of her committee members, chairperson Debbie Bowden launched a phone campaign last week to find out just how crowded local classrooms are. Results varied but for the most part, Riverdale's kindergarten classes will be crammed this fall.

Committee member Marvin Shelton reported that PS 24 has already enrolled 23 more students for next year's kindergarten class than this year's cohort of 110.

"They expect another 20 students enrolled over the summer," Mr. Shelton added.

North Riverdale is finding similar overcrowding woes. The Robert J. Christen School, PS 81, currently houses 665 students, committee member Bob Bender reported. In 2004, the DOE listed the school at 100 percent capacity with only 601 students.

Principal Melodie Mashel told Mr. Bender that teachers have left PS 81 solely because of overcrowding.

Kingsbridge schools PS 7 and PS/MS 37, on the other hand, are under capacity. With a capacity of 800, PS 7 only enrolls 600 with 21- student kindergarten classes, committee member Sylvia Alexander reported. PS/MS 37 has a capacity of 632 students but currently houses 56 students less than that.

Overcrowding is not a problem at the David A. Stein Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy, MS/HS 141, but could become one in the future, committee members Ray Noberto and Robert Press reported. The school's sixth-grade class, at 221 students, is nearly 100 students more than the school's graduating senior class.

Ms. Bowden said she has been worried about overcrowding for a long time.

"When you go through this community and you see all the construction, you wonder, 'Where are these kids going to go to school?' That is the big question," she said before the meeting.

"It's very hard to get information from the schools," she said. "I've always said I have become an investigative reporter because of this position."

So what are the solutions? Ms. Bowden, for one, does not believe rezoning is the answer.

"I don't want to take kids out of neighborhood schools," she said. "I firmly believe in neighborhood schools."

On May 15, Councilman Oliver Koppell sent a letter to the Department of Education, asking that the Whitehall Annex be reserved for PS 24 in fall 2009. The annex was previously used as a safety valve for overflowing students, but was taken over by the Bronx Early College Academy in 2006. BECA's growing student body will force the school to leave the small space after the 2008-09 school year.