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CB 5 to meet over Christ the King charter school

CB 5 to meet over Christ the King charter school
Photo by Christina Santucci
By Joe Anuta

A committee was set to meet this week to discuss the possibility of putting one of the area’s first charter schools within Christ the King High School in Middle Village.

The Education Committee of Community Board 5 was scheduled to host the meeting at the Catholic high school, at 68-02 Metropolitan Ave., which has enough space to possibly house a middle school, according to Gary Giordano, district manager of CB 5.

“To my knowledge, they have the space and they have someone who is interested in opening a charter school,” he said before the Oct. 18 meeting.

That interested party might be in a position to file for an application by early next year.

There are currently no charter schools in Community Education Council District 24, the district that encompasses neighborhoods like Ridgewood, Maspeth, Glendale and Middle Village and parts of Corona. It is the most overcrowded district in the city, according to educators.

One group has proposed a charter school that is set to open next fall.

In May, Udai Tambar and a colleague presented a plan to CECD 24 for what he called the Central Queens Academy Charter School.

Tambar’s school will initially serve students in grades 5-8 and will cater to children who speak English as a second language.

But there is one problem: Tambar still does not have a space to house the school.

His proposal did not go over well with CECD 24 and highlighted two sides of the debate about charter schools, which are funded by the state but not under mayoral control like standard public schools.

Nick Comaianni, president of CECD 24, is not opposed to charter schools, but believes that money for education should first go toward improving existing public schools.

“If you have money to put into a charter school, I don’t see why you don’t have money to put into a public school,” he said.

Comaianni said he is also wary of the fact that charter schools do not have to report to the CEC. But if a charter does open up in District 24, he would like to establish a relationship.

“If we get any complaints at our CEC meetings, I want to make sure we have a link,” he said.

But on a larger scale, Comaianni wondered why the city needed charter schools at all.

They are often touted as providing a wider variety of options for parents, he said, but he sees it as a failure on the part of the Bloomberg administration, which controls the school system.

“He said he could turn the whole thing around and make things better,” Comaianni said. “If you have total control in fixing your schools, why do you need charter schools?”

But Anthony Lombardi, principal of PS 49 in Middle Village, said charter schools promote competition and give parents more control in picking where their children get an education.

“I think we should embrace competition and accountability,” he said. “I think it presents parents options.”

In addition, charter schools can operate outside the constraints of public schools which must appease the teacher’s union and follow city regulations about the physical construction of the school.

“They are able to optimize their resources,” he said.

And if a charter school performs poorly, it is much easier to close it down and get rid of its teachers, which is not easily done in public schools.

Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.