DOE, demons?

This year at my daughter's school, The Clinton School for Writers and Artists, some of the parents have been heavily involved with the Relocation Committee.  I mentioned this before, but I'm on the PTA executive board as Recording Secretary, Relocation Committee & a Class Parent.  That's more than enough for anyone.  Having been thrown into PTA last year it has been a eye opener dealing with the Department of Education in NYC and realizing that these bloodsuckers don't care about children.  It's beyond politics, because you'd think if something didn't financially make sense they wouldn't do it. 

A promise was made to PS 11, where Clinton is also housed, to move Clinton by 2010.  DOE came up with a proposal to move Clinton to PS 33, an elementary school a few blocks away, same district in  Chelsea. Unbeknownst to anyone until a few months ago, in order for Clinton to move into PS 33, a special needs school needs to be moved out.  The plan was to move some of them to a hearing impaired school that does not have working elevators, bathrooms that aren't wheelchair accessible, longer commute time, and no integration with regularly functioning students.  All bad.  

Jefferson Siegel, a journalist with Chelsea Now, a terrific paper telling it like it is in the Chelsea area where Clinton is located, has written a couple of articles about our plight.  4 schools are being pitted against each other in a game of musical chairs with the DOE at the on/off switch.  As Pat Jewett, PTA president of 138, the special needs school that would be most affected by this proposal to move Clinton said, "Like crabs in a basket, that's what the DOE wants us to be."  

A quick solution that none of us can fathom why the DOE doesn't want to do this, is move some incoming kindergarten kids to PS 33, an under crowded, already established elementary school.  No need to make upgrades to accommodate a middle school.  Move some of the G&T kids over.  Oh, no we'll lose the majority of our PTA money.  Now we're getting somewhere.  Can't be crowded when you have 20 kids at most in a class to keep your Title 1 funding that offers free lunch to 60% of your students.  We need to look at these figures.  You don't have to be a Title 1 school to qualify for free lunch.  Although things are changing all the time. 

We now have a signed letter by 6 elected officials including Quinn, Stringer, Gottfried, etc. to take this proposal off the table because of the impact to PS 138.  What do they do?  Ignore it and come up with another plan to move PS 138 into 4 other schools.  They really want Clinton in PS 33.  A political move to help the community there with a thriving, very desirable middle school, but at what cost?  The kids will lose their mandated science lab, theatre space, outdoor space, lunch room.  They will get a gym to be shared by elementary school students.  Money is passing hands or bodily fluids.  I believe that a handful of people on the panel are going to say no to this proposal as is.  And we will start all over again next year because the DOE is determined to get Clinton out.  They claim they are looking for a permanent home for Clinton.  Well do so.  We've scouted a space on East 15th, there are many available spaces that if they would start work on it now could have Clinton a home by in 2012 maybe even 2011.  

Next time I'm going to write about Bruce Norris's play, "Clybourne Park," which should win a Pulitzer Prize.  I left the theatre knowing I had just witnessed greatness.