PS 8 annex -- in 2011
Yesterday, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and a glittering lineup of civic and state luminaries traipsed over to Brooklyn Heights' rejuvenated elementary school, PS 8, to announce the construction of a new school annex, to be completed in 2011. Overcrowding has been a worry during the school's resurgence, although the most recent data available show the school isn't bursting at the seams -- yet. The school has grown from 62% capacity in 2004 to 85% in 2006.
The school's welcome revival has been the driving force behind increasing demand for seats; Chancellor Klein, quoted on WNYC, said that the new construction shows that the DOE is responsive to neighborhoods, not districts. (We'd like to see him try that logic with parents of high-school students who no longer have zoned, neighborhood high schools to attend.)
The Heights, long one of Brooklyn's best-heeled bedroom communities, proved quite the draw on a sultry summer afternoon. According to the DOE, "Chancellor Klein was joined by Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott, Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm, Chief Family Engagement Officer Martine Guerrier, S[chool] C[onstruction] A[uthority] President Sharon Greenberger, Department of City Planning Director Purnima Kapur, PS 8 Principal Seth Phillips, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Councilman David Yassky, State Assemblywoman Joan Millman, State Senator Martin Connor, PTA co-President Tim Eldridge, Superintendent James Machen, PS 8 Assistant Principal Robert Mikos, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership President Joe Chan, Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Deputy Director Nancy Webster, and Community Education Council representatives for School District 13." Whew.
Nearly everyone took a turn at the mic: Klein, Walcott, Grimm, Greenberger, Guerrier, Phillips, Eldridge, Millman, Yassky, and Markowitz all contributed remarks.
Unfortunately, the building boomlet in Brooklyn Heights doesn't include the development of new middle schools. Klein has stated that middle schools are his priority for the balance of the Mayor's term; as summer melts into fall, the time is growing short to prove it.
3 comments:
The 2005 school report card that indicates the school is at 85% of capacity is completely out of date. Current enrollment is at 500, which is way over capacity: upper school class size is at 30, and the school will have two overflow classrooms in trailers this fall.
It's a great school, and it's wonderful news they're building an annex.
Now if only the DOE would get moving on a new middle school, so we have somewhere to send our kids after 5th grade! District 13 is woefully undersupplied with top quality middle school seats.
--PS8 parent
Agree with both of your comments -- wish more current data were available (for PS8 and all schools) and absolutely that middle-schools are scarce in D13. But I wonder how much DOE can promise before this administration moves on, and whether whoever succeeds them will keep those commitments.
I just read http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/30/31_30_sp_ps8.html
It makes it sound like part of the purpose to expand PS 8 is to accommodate a middle school. Would this school be just for PS 8 elementary kids or for the rest of D 13 which is just as underserved for mid school? If it is open only to PS 8 kids that really sucks for the rest of us in less wealthy & connected hoods that are just as needy.
Parent of 3 zoned for PS 9, trying to get in out of district in art cuz mid schools suck
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