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Budget, Education & City Services
The zoning and incubation of PS/IS 281 for the 2012-2013 school years
WHEREAS, Overcrowding in schools serving the school-age population living within Community Board Five has been an ongoing and acute problem; and
WHEREAS, Midtown East is now the fastest growing neighborhood in terms of housing starts; and
WHEREAS, At close to 800 students, PS 116 is 120 students above the Department of Education (DOE)'s stated capacity of 680; and
WHEREAS, As the Kindergarten enrollment at PS 116 went from 128 students in 2010-2011 to 156 in 2011-2012, each of the now six Kindergarten classes have 26 students per class; and
WHEREAS, This year and for the past two years, 2nd grade class sizes at PS 116 reached or surpassed 30 students; and
WHEREAS, PS 116 has forfeited its Gifted & Talented program, sacrificed its pre-K program, collapsed its classrooms and given up specialty teachers as well as cluster rooms; and
WHEREAS, PS116 is forced to start the lunch period at 10:30am to allow the cafeteria to serve all children; and
WHEREAS, The sustainability of PS 116 is impossible at the current rate of growth, even for another year; and
WHEREAS, several viable sites with adequate capacity for incubation have been identified within close proximity to both PS116 and the future home of PS281; and
WHEREAS, PS/IS 281, slated to open in 2013, is proposed to alleviate the overcrowding in Midtown East; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Six passed a similar resolution and Community Board Five is supporting it; and
WHEREAS, all Midtown East elected officials signed a letter supporting incubation of PS/IS 281 for the 2012-2013 school year; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Community Board Five strongly urges the DOE to work in partnership with the CECd2 to immediately create a zone for PS/IS 281 and incubate at least two kindergarten sections at PS/IS 281 at a satellite location for the 2012-2013 school years, as per precedent set by the DOE, past and present.
The above resolution passed by a vote of 31 in favor; 0 opposed; 2 abstaining and 1 present but not entitled to vote.