Ways to ease school overcrowding

Point of View

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By Jeffrey Dinowitz

Providing our children with a sound education is one the greatest responsibilities we have as a city and as a society. This has always guided my work in the State Assembly where I have fought tirelessly to address our local schools’ aging infrastructure and helped spearhead the creation of two new middle/high schools in my district.

 Just this year I helped secure $2 million for outreach and test prep aimed at increasing diversity in our specialized high schools and giving students from all backgrounds the chance to succeed. I fight for our public schools because I believe every child deserves the same opportunities to learn and grow. That’s why the current situation at P.S. 24 is so troubling to me.

P.S. 24 is a great school and in many ways a microcosm of education in this city.  Its diverse student body represents more than 30 different nations and includes students of all different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Unfortunately, it also shares with other NYC schools another trait: it is extremely overcrowded. 

Last year the school lost its lease on the Whitehall Annex down the street. This year the cold lunch room was significantly shrunk to make way for five new replacement classrooms. Despite only small population growth in the area, both P.S. 24 and surrounding schools continue to see enrollment rise but instruction space stay the same. This is a fact that has gotten lost in the many controversies over mismanagement by some P.S. 24 officials, and the recent wild accusations made by its assistant principal against me, the city and others. The children deserve an education in the best possible conditions and state law requires it.

In 2007, acting on a State Supreme Court decision, the legislature passed the Contract for Excellence (C4E) law requiring NYC to create and implement a plan to reduce class sizes at all grade levels. In response, the city set strict target class sizes to be met over five years. The city has consistently failed to meet these goals, with only a quarter of the city’s schools currently in compliance with the 2007 law. 

Classroom size has real consequences for our children’s education and chance of success. That’s why I propose taking real steps to improve this unacceptable situation. First, parents should be able to access current average classroom size and building capacity statistics online in order to be able to judge the availability of space at a given school and make decisions on enrollment and even where to rent an apartment or buy a home. Second, the city needs to live up to its constitutional mandate to provide “sound basic education.” This requires action by both the city and the state. 

The city must factor educational needs and school capacity into planning and zoning before the approval of major new developments, not after. There are overcrowding issues at all of the schools in the northwest quadrant of my district: PS 81, PS 24, PS 95, PS 7 and PS 207. That is why I have proposed to the DOE construction of a new elementary school at a location at the crossroads of the four zones for these schools.

At the same time, the state must be a willing partner in the fight to reduce NYC’s overcrowding problem. This means prioritizing funds in our state budget to close the city’s education funding gap, but also the State Education Department should, as suggested by the Education Law Center, be prepared to withhold C4E funding and approval for city plans if targets aren’t met. 

As a graduate of New York City public schools and the father of children who attended public schools in this city, I’ve seen how a good public education opens doors. Every family should be fortunate to have this opportunity available to their children. This is our legal and moral obligation. Otherwise, we’re simply not making the grade. 

 

Jeffrey Dinowitz is a New York State Assembly member, representing District 81 in the Bronx

Jeffrey Dinowitz, PS 24

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