How crowded is your school?
CECD2 needs your help in documenting school specific facts. This month our question is: How crowded is your school?
CECD2 needs your help in documenting school specific facts. This month our question is: How crowded is your school?
May 18th, 2007 at 6:01 am
My son has 35 children in his 6th grade class at NYC LAB School. He loves the school and the teachers but expresses frustration that his grade is partially based on class participation and with 35 students it’s hard for him and the other children to participate in a 40 minute class. Class participation is especially important in a class like foreign language where verbal participation is part of learning a language. When I observed the classes, it seems like the physical plant was never intended to house 35 middle school children in a room and this building, The O’Henry Learning Center, was specifically designed to house middle school children! I’d hate to deny other children access to NYC Lab School and the great education it provides, but I’m sure my son and the other students would also like more individualized attention that a smaller class size would provide. Thank you for the opportunity to state my concerns about the large class size in the New York City public schools.
May 20th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
According to PS 183’s School Safety Plan, our school capacity is 510 people. This number includes students and staff. As of May 17th, 2007 we had 685 people in our building. Projected numbers for Fall 2007 are between 625 and 650 students. That projection does not include staff. To accommodate these numbers, we have had to shut down our library, our computer room and our resource intervention room where our most at risk students receive the extra attention they need and require. At this time, we do not have any more rooms left to convert to classroom space. PS 183 is a wonderful school that strives to nurture the inate curiosity that all children have. However, that goal is becoming increasingly difficult given our finite spaces and growing enrollment.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:16 am
The Manhattan New School, PS290, has experienced tremendous growth in the last few years and we are now in a severe overcrowding situation. Here are some statistics comparing 1995 to the current school year:
-1995 enrollment was 250 students; current enrollment is 682.
-The building capacity is 450.
-MNS went from no CTT classes to one in each grade.
-Mandated students entitled to special services increased from 36 to 170 during this time period.
As a result, many classrooms have been lost.
-SETTS class is now a 2nd grade classroom
-The Science room is now a 4th grade classroom
-The Music room is now a 4th grade classroom
-The Art room is now a 5th grade classroom
The auditorium has been cut in half and now fills the needs of science, music, dance, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy services. This space also serves as an auditorium and is used for arrival and recreational space during inclement weather. Many of these services, classes, and activities take place simultaneously, putting OT and PT services in an environment that could hardly be considered optimal. In addition to classroom loss, the number of staff providing speech, OT, PT and adaptive services has clearly increased as the number of students receiving these services has greatly expanded.
In the short term, there is simply no additional space. There are currently 5 kindergarten classes, 5 first grade classes, 4 second grade classes, 4 third grade classes, 4 fourth grade classes and 3 fifth grade classes. When the fifth grade class graduates in June, 2007 where will we put the incoming class? We have already lost our music and science classrooms, which are now housed in swing space in what used to be our auditorium.
Four adult bathrooms are now used for reading recovery and guidance. The lunchroom doubles as the gym. We have minimal yard space and the 4th and 5th grade students use the street for recess.
In each of the past three years the school has had to receive five incoming kindergarten classes. If this pattern continues for fall 2007, we will have no place to put them. We need your help to immediately cap the number of students who enter the school next year and beyond. For fall 2007 the incoming kindergarten classes need to be limited to four.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
PS41, in the Greenwich Village, is experiencing major growth right now and we are worried about future overcrowding. We have been able to apply for class reduction for K,1 and 2, so until last year we had 18/22 stdents in grades K to 2, and about 25/28 in grades 3 to 5.
Last year the K registration increased, In order to keep the smaller class size we had to add a K class. We lost the Teacher’s lounge, and the classes in grades 3 to 5 had 30 kids in them. This year K registration is up to 160 (it use to be 120). We’ll need to loose a cluster classroom to accomodate yet another class, and the Principal won’t be able to offer a reduced class size in K. And as the grades move up, there will be the need for more classes or bigger class sizes. We may have to give up pre-K.
This is very sad, especially since most families living in this zone have the choice to either PS3 or PS41. Somehow PS41 is getting more overcrowded, but we’re not allowed to put a cap and send students to PS3, which I beleive was done in the past, and they apparently do have open spots.
We don’t want to loose any more cluster classrooms and overcrowd the school!
May 20th, 2008 at 11:19 am
In response to PS41, I go to PS3, you asked, why doesn’t your principal send kids over to our school? Oh my, You are wrong if you think we have open spots! In the past, we have received several children from PS41 who were even asked to leave your school, our principal has been overly generous, and we suffer greatly from her kindness., not only that, we are overflowing into the hallways, rooms are being divided into two with temporary walls. Our facility compared to PS41 is a joke, our building is falling down around us, we don’t even have a gym, let a lone a decent cafeteria. Class size is laughable, over 30 kids per classroom. Something has to be done!! PS3 is beyond overcrowded! Very sad! By the way, you mean other schools have science rooms??