OK, right off the bat we have two things to share with you regarding the school situation. The first is the actual applications/acceptance numbers. Here they are:
PS 78 Kindergarten applications 2012-2013 school year
Total 80 applied
Seats available 47
14 of the applicants were zoned with siblings
59 of the applicants were zoned without siblings
7 were non-zoned without siblings within the district
Hmm, it seems the initial estimates from our post of August 16th were pretty close to spot on, in fact a little conservative in both the numerator and denominator: 75 applicants for 50 spots. Therefore I have to start dreading my initial estimates for the entering class of 2013 based on the number of new buildings being completed and filled: 200 applicants for 50 spots! Yet some of the relief I mentioned in that post has come to fruition, as the second thing to share is that: PS 78 will remain as an annex to 312, under the purview of it’s principal with respect to administration and programming. Principal Pavone told parents at PS 78 (on Thursday) that the current site has been approved to be an elementary school (in addition to the new school being built). That is terrific, but far from unexpected. Yet there is more to do, as an additional 50 seats in Kindergarten only reduces the odds of your child attending school locally to 50%. Now here’s another assumption, the staff of PS78 moves en masse to PS312, PS78 needs to be fully restaffed and this restaffing has not been done yet. Would it to be too much to ask, in light of these numbers and the arguments I gave in my post of 8/16, that the Board of Ed and other influential powers think outside the box, and double up grades K-2 in lieu of having a full elementary school K-5?
An all K-2 school would be an unprecedented, first-of-its-kind innovation here in NYC, but desperate times call for desperate measures, so it’s time to move mountains people! While we’re at it, how about some of Van Bramer’s $600K in discretionary funding coming our way to help initiate local youth athletic programs that I wrote about last week? We already have the fields and courts, so it would not take too much. I think in financial terms one would call it a very good return on investment. Alright noses to the grindstone everyone, it’s time to go back to school.
Van Bramer Distributes $638K To District’s Non-Profits – like Christmas in September
HGTV Home By Novogratz Transforms a LIC Living Room – hmm, not sure I’d be looking to do any redecorating w/ a crayon wielding toddler running around
LIC Lunch Dance Party Goes Bulgarian – forget about the Bulgarian twist, I’m still wrapping my arms around an alcohol free dance party commencing during daylight hours