BP Says Enrollment Timeline Is Flawed

The Department of Education may be opening a new primary school to alleviate District 2 crowding, but Borough President Scott Stringer is not happy with the enrollment timeline. Families who have been waitlisted at their zoned schools will receive offers for alternative schools if they cannot be moved off of the waitlist. But the second-round offers, planned for the week of May 17, will come before most families finalize plans for private schools or gifted programs, which in turn frees up space at zoned schools. â??The DOE does not explain the reasoning behind choosing this week for distribution, Stringer said. â??It is well before the gifted and talented and other specialized program registration is finalized. The rationale behind the May 17 timeline, a department official explained, is to give families more options for their children as early as possible. Even though a new school, P.S. 267, is scheduled to open in the P.S. 158 building in September, some families may not get a seat in their neighborhood school. Education officials have said that another class would open in P.S. 158"s building, on York Avenue between East 77th and 78th streets, but it is unclear whether this class will be part of P.S. 267 or P.S. 158. The department said it is working with the community to reduce waitlists and to provide alternatives for parents. â??We understand that this is a time of real anxiety for parents, said department spokesman Jack Zarin-Rosenfeld. â??We are closely monitoring enrollment and demographic trends for our planning and will continue to work with parents, elected officials, CEC members and other community leaders to make sure there is enough capacity to meet demand in these neighborhoods. Assembly Member Micah Kellner, who represents the East Side, believes the department needs to start focusing on future schools. â??Elementary kids don"t stay elementary kids forever. The DOE needs to add middle schools, Kellner said. Plenty of existing buildings are available for renovation, he pointed out. â??There are buildings on the East Side and developers out there that would be prepared to revamp the buildings to create new school space for the district, Kellner said. The department said it is considering the need for more middle school seats in the neighborhood, too. â??We certainly take projections into account and our capital plan will reflect that, Zarin-Rosenfeld said. Stringer said he will convene his â??war room soon to address a number of education issues. â??We need to figure out these problems for the long run, he said. â??We don"t want to see parents leave New York because our schools are overcrowded.