By: UWS public school parent

UWS public school parent — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 06:51:04 +0000

I am extremely pleased that the developer is committed to setting aside not just the 75,000 sq feet of school space for its own tenants' needs, but 150,000 square feet for a sorely-needed, wider-reaching school. However, it is alarming to see that this is being left as an option for the School Construction Authority to fund. Several years ago, in the early stages of Riverside South development, the SCA chose not to exercise such an option to build a school on land set aside for that purpose. Letting that opportunity go caused direct and lasting overcrowding to nearby PS199 and subsequent overcrowding at PS87, when the zones had to be changed to help PS199 manage its enrollment crisis. The full build-out of this school cannot be left up to the future whims of the SCA. The Department of Education, via the SCA, has to step up to the plate and agree UP FRONT to build out a 150,000+ square foot, K-8 school in the first constructed building that will not only serve its immediate neighborhood but also address the current, worsening shortage of elementary and middle school seats elsewhere in the district.

Comments on: Competing Visions for Riverside Center

By: UWS public school parent