By Bill Parry
When the city Department of Education announced plans for a new annex at Woodside’s PS 11, the news was well-received, but with construction set to begin in June a new problem has arisen: What will they do with the children?
To build the 850-seat extension, the city School Construction Authority must first demolish a temporary mini-building, displacing 200 students. The main building, at 54-25 Skillman Ave., operates at 132 percent of capacity, so that is not an option.
The DOE plans to bus the 200 kindergartners 3.2 miles away to PS 171 in Astoria for a year until the construction of PS 339, in Sunnyside, is complete.
Parents are outraged at the plan, so elected officials sent a joint letter to city Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña urging the DOE to reconsider busing students to the other side of District 30.
The officials wrote of their shared concern with “the psychological effects on the incoming kindergarten class since they could potentially attend three different schools in three consecutive years.”
U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) said, “While the expansion of PS 11 in Woodside is a necessary investment in our children’s education, we need to ensure that construction is as least disruptive as possible to our families. I urge the DOE to work with the parents in our community on finding a suitable location for the children that is closer to home.”
State Assemblywoman Margaret Markey (D-Ridgewood) added, “There must be a better alternate location for these kindergartners. A 3-mile ride during rush hour is no way for children to begin their first year in school.”
City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) believes he has the answer right in his backyard.
PS 313, currently under construction at 45-46 42nd St., will be ready to open in September. When the DOE opens a new school it’s policy is to fill the school one year at a time, it does not fill it with students. In fact, plans are for only kindergarten the first year, leaving plenty of room for the displaced students from PS 11.
“I’m hopeful that they will keep the children close to home and the option of sending them to PS 313 is very much under consideration,” Van Bramer said. “There will certainly be enough space at PS 313.”
The potential solution may also benefit students at IS 125, at 46-02 47th Ave., who will be in the same situation when construction begins on their annex this summer.
Ultimately, the decision will be made by the city Panel for Educational Policy, which has delayed the process for two months because of the change in the city’s administration.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718.260.4538.
