On January 29, NYC Council Member Letitia James, along with elected officials, education advocates, students, teachers and parents came to rally against DOE proposed phase-out of M.S. 571 and consolidation of charter schools.
Catherine Jhung, 43, of Brooklyn came to protect her five-year-old son’s elementary school against the merger of three schools into one building. Jhung is concerned with the effect of consolidation on her five-year-old son, Shannon Jhung, who goes to the kindergarten at P.S. 9.
“The co-location will severely harm the learning environment of elementary school students at P.S. 9,” Jhung said.
On January 21, New York City Department of Education amended a proposal to add Brooklyn East Collegiate (BEC) to P.S. 9’s building, K009. The plan will require three schools to share the building until June 2013.
According to the participants of the rally, critical errors in the proposal will result in a space shortage.
Simone Hawkins, 23, Education Policy Analyst in NYC Council, 35th Council District said that there are several errors and flaws in the plan that was proposed by the DOE.
According to Jhung, DOE underestimates demand for the school from neighborhood parents, as shown by the ongoing kindergarten enrollment for fall 2011. “After only two weeks of registration through Jan. 27, 2011’s enrollment matched 2010’s total enrollment of 117,” Jhung said “Yet registration is open six more weeks.”
Protesters also mentioned the failure of the allocation of the classroom space for projected enrollment growth at P.S. 9, with the school likely be short in nine classrooms within three years. “If the school adds one kindergarten this fall, then 16 classes at P.S. 9 in 2015 will lack for classrooms,” Hawkins said.
One of the biggest problems for P.S. 9 remains a gymnasium usage. According to www.ps9brooklyn.org DOE does not consider P.S. 9’s use of the gymnasium after 3 p.m. for two different after-school programs serving over 90 families a day.
Both of these would be displaced by the middle schools’ gym classes and after-school sports needs.
Moreover conflict over library usage for students will arise after three schools will share one building. “Under the BUP, P.S. 9 classes will have an average of nine minutes each a week to use the library,” Jhung said, “Despite separation in all other realms, at breakfast, middle schoolers will mix with elementary students.”
According to James, NYC Council Member, DOE claims that Brooklyn East Collegiate cannot delay its move until 2012 or 2013. “If BEC were to stay at K343 another year, it would be in a six-story building with a total of 610 students,” James said, “At P.S. 9’s building, 920 or more students would be sharing a three-story building that is not even two-thirds the size of K343.”
According to Hawkins, Portfolio Planning, DOE’s Division which deals with school programming, inserted a clause in its proposal saying that the Chancellor reserves the right to move Brooklyn East Charter again if demand for elementary-school seats in the zone grow beyond expectations.
“Yet if this growth is at all likely – and this autumn’s kindergarten registration proves it is — then this plan risks too much disruption to too many children’s educations,” Hawkins said.
“The community knows each of these schools was never given the chance to succeed and grow,” Jhung said, “We demand that chance.”
