By Jeremy Walsh
Maspeth will be the home of the city’s next high school after the City Council voted 38-10 Thursday in favor of a proposal opposed by Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) and the Juniper Park Civic Association.
Crowley, who got the city Department of Education to agree to give seating priority to students in District 24, voted against the plan because the DOE would not agree to give first choice to students coming from nearby PS 58 and secondary priority to students in a number of ZIP codes in the area.
“Let me be clear, I want a school in Maspeth, but I cannot agree with this plan,” she told the Council. “As a Council member it has been difficult accepting and agreeing on the Dept of Education’s policies, but I must thank Speaker Quinn for her continued hard work and support.”
Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) voted in favor of the plan for an 1,100-seat high school at 74th Street and 57th Avenue, which has raised strong objections from residents in the area and elected officials.
Queens Council members voting for the plan included Helen Sears (D-Jackson Heights), Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst) and John Liu (D-Flushing).
Liu, who lambasted the DOE in a contentious subcommittee hearing Tuesday, said he respected Crowley for standing up for her constituents, but he had to focus on the bigger picture.
“At the end of the day, it’s still a crisis, the shortage of high school seats in northern Queens,” he said, noting he had assurances from the DOE that it would work quickly to identify another high school site in the northern half of the borough.
Ferreras also praised Crowley’s efforts.
“I understand she’s going to be voting for her district’s interests,” said Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst), whose Council district includes parts of School District 24. “I need to also vote for my constituents.”
District 24 graduates roughly 4,500 kids per year, Crowley’s office said. A child living across the street from the new high school would have a 1-in-20 chance of getting admitted, she said.
News of the Council’s decision did not surprise community leaders in the area.
“I don’t think that the Department of Education paid enough attention to the fact that these are unusual circumstances in the area of the proposed school, especially related to IS 73 and the number of buses that they have transporting students to and from school,” said CB 5 District Manager Gary Giordano.
Juniper Park Civic Association President Robert Holden criticized Crowley and other Queens Council members, noting that he was disappointed that Crowley did not round up more no votes.
“She took a stance early on that was unwinnable,” Holden said. “I said the best way to attack this would be to go for an alternate site, and that’s what should have been done. With a veteran Council person, they probably wouldn’t have had the vote.”
Reach reporter Jeremy Walsh by e-mail at jewalsh@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
