Pre-K Questions, No Answers (Yet)
It's hard to imagine how much more time the DOE will require to review the pre-K applications that have caused so much turmoil. But as there's no official word there beyond 'we're working on it and will let parents know,' I don't have news of substance to report.
For those seeking political recourse, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum will hold a press conference at Tweed tomorrow, Wednesday, at 12:45pm; Council Member Bill DeBlasio of Brooklyn will speak around 1p. (We'll be there, too.)
Questions abound in regard to potentially unclaimed seats -- those offered to families who, for reasons of distance, convenience or sheer frustration with the DOE morass, will make other pre-K choices. Because the process was a citywide effort this year, schools don't have official wait lists, and there is no "trading up," as one poster had hoped, from a spot at a second- or third-choice school if a place at the first-choice school opens. If your child was offered a seat, you can accept or decline -- no wheeling-dealing.
Families of children who have not been offered a seat can participate in a second round of pre-K admissions, which opens (no typo) June 23d, just three days before school lets out for summer. Not all schools will have empty seats, but this is how the seats that aren't spoken for will be filled.
As of this writing, you have to go to an OSEPO borough office to get the paperwork and a directory of schools. Amazingly, the powers that be haven't yet published a deadline for second-round applications -- I'm working on it.
5 comments:
We have a sibling problem but we also have heard from a few neighborhood friends that they will be giving up their seats at the preK school - but how do we get considered for them? There is no mechanism for this now and that's what is really annoying.
Alert parents of pre-k children who need to register at the new PS303Q: if you're trying to call that number on the letter, don't bother - it will lead you directly to the principal's voice mailbox, which is full, so you can't even leave a message. You need to call the district office directly: 718.557.2774, and bring your child and documents to the office in Jamaica to register your child. I was so annoyed that I had to call several numbers in order to get this one. And the person who answered the phone did not seem concerned at all that parents weren't getting through. Anyway, hope this alleviates any stressed out parents trying to register their child at 303Q.
I FINALLY got an acknowledgement email from ES Enrollment that says they're investigating my sibling problem. But guess what... there was no contact name or telephone number attached to that email, so I can't follow-up with anyone, even if I wanted to. This is a case history for the DOE on how NOT to act during a crisis. This whole thing has been sooooo frustrating.
I've got a great idea. For those who go through the second-chance solution and secure a placement in their non-zone, non-sibling school -- let's allow them to trade placements like currency. Say a family got into their 3rd choice school -- the 1st choice of a rejected parent who then gets a 2nd chance placement in that 1st familiy's 1st choice school. (following??) Can they then trade?? In this economy, maybe we could even sell our seats?
selling seats smacks of the worst kind of upper-middle-class elitism and entitlement...I can only hope you're joking.
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