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Weiner seeks more money to aid school transfer sites

By Alex Davidson

U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Kew Gardens) is calling for more money and resources for well-performing schools that accept students transferring from the borough's poorest schools to ensure high test scores and student performance are not sacrificed.

Weiner, who wants to amend the No Child Left Behind Act that was signed into law in January 2002, said during a news conference Feb. 9 that the number of students wishing to transfer into better schools within their neighborhood districts heavily outnumbers the available seats throughout the borough.

“Kids stuck in failing schools must be given meaningful choices so that they can get out and get the education they deserve,” said Weiner, whose office issued a study investigating the problem. “But that shouldn't mean blowing up class sizes in well-performing schools and cramming their halls with an influx of new students.”

Weiner cited Queens District 24, which includes Ridgewood, Maspeth, Elmhurst, Corona and Glendale, as having a severe problem with 11,442 students eligible to leave low-performing schools but only 80 slots available to them in the neighborhood district.

The No Child Left Behind Act includes a provision that allows any public school student to transfer to a high-performing school. Weiner said because of the small number of available seats for students requesting to be transferred, parents are having to deal with the prospect of keeping their children in low-performing schools or looking outside of their assigned district.

But Weiner said a student leaving his or her district to attend a better school imposes on the individual school authorities unfair transportation costs that could take vital funds away from the classroom.

The legislation Weiner proposed would set limits on the school transfer process and give school districts additional money to increase their capacity to handle new students, said Anson Kaye, a spokesman for Weiner. Weiner said his amendment would also authorize new funds not in the No Child Left Behind Act to districts to build more classrooms, hire more teachers and buy more school materials.

His bill would also place “reasonable” limits on the number of students who could be transferred to a particular school and on the distance students could not exceed to reach new schools.

“Fixing the problems that plague our under-performing schools shouldn't mean undermining what works so well in our good schools,” Weiner said.

Reach reporter Alex Davidson by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.