By Kelsey Durham
The Parent-Teacher Association at Bayside High School is butting heads with the city Department of Education over the number of students admitted to the school each year as parents say they are growing concerned that the school is overcrowded.
The PTA reached out to the DOE earlier this month after hearing that the agency was sending more than 900 incoming freshmen into BHS this fall, a figure that the PTA says exceeds the number of graduating seniors who will be leaving the school in June.
According to the DOE, Bayside’s enrollment at the beginning of the 2013-14 school year was 3,241 students, and the PTA says it expects between 2,500 and 2,600 of those students to return.
Edward Tan, co-president of the BHS PTA, said Bayside has a capacity of 2,100 students, and the 3,200 that are currently enrolled is about 152 percent of that capacity. He said the addition of 950 new freshman, with only about 600 to 700 outgoing students, will force the building to be at 172 percent capacity.
“The DOE wants to add 950 new students, but that really means 1,000 or even a little more,” said Tan. “This will bring the school back to between 3,500 and 3,600 students, a step backward toward longer days and larger classes.”
Tan said the PTA has sent e-mails to the DOE and to city Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña asking them to limit the number of new students at Bayside to around 750 each year, but he said they have received no response.
The DOE did not comment on whether it had heard concerns from parents at Bayside about overcrowding.
According to an official from the DOE, enrollment trends at BHS show a drop over the last few years, decreasing from 3,628 students in 2010-11 to the current figure of 3,241 for this year.
But parents at Bayside say they are still not happy with that number.
“It’s not good for the school,” said Tan. “At this point I’m afraid it might be too late to do anything.”
Tan, who has a daughter in 10th-grade at BHS, said he has seen the positive effects that declining enrollment has had on the school and its students. He said that as enrollment dropped and the school became less crowded, grades and test scores went up and graduation rates increased, and many students left the school with college credits already under their belts.
Tan said the PTA is continuing to discuss what can be done about what they feel is an overcrowded high school and will continue to contact the DOE to try and work out a solution.
“This is about fairness to our community,” he said. “The chancellor wanted parents to advocate and be involved, but so far we have gotten no response to our request.”
Reach reporter Kelsey Durham at 718-260-4573 or by e-mail at kdurham@cnglocal.com.
