Congressional Report: Queens Youngsters Crowded Out Again

Key elements of the report found that fewer than one out of every twenty K-3 Queens students were taught in classes that met the national goal of 18 students per classroom. Over 39 percent of these students are taught in classes ranging between 19 and 24 students. Most alarming, said Crowley, is the fact that nearly 57 percent of all Queens elementary school students learn daily in classes of over 25 children.
"Schools are not factories and our children cannot be warehoused," said Crowley. "Teachers need to have the ability to connect with students. Overcrowded classrooms make this virtually impossible."
Crowley finds that the source of much of the overcrowding stems from aging school buildings that can no longer accommodate a rising student body. Reports indicate that Queens population is expected to continue to surge over the next 10 years. By that time, Crowley estimates that New Yorks Seventh Congressional District, which he represents, will be nearly 50,000 seats short and "effectively unable to educate the people of Queens."
In response, Congress created the School Reconstruction and Modernization Act. The legislation would expand incentives for the construction and renovation of public schools, while providing tax incentives for corporations to participate in cooperative agreements with public schools in distressed areas.
School District 30 Superintendent Angelo Gimondo said his office has used every possible inch of space, but he is simply out of room. "We need the federal government to come up with innovative new ways to create more schools," said Gimondo.
Crowley recommended that the School Construction Authority (SCA) be innovative in creating untraditional space for schools, utilizing corporate buildings or constructing sites over highways. "Things are not going to be the way it used to be, but we need these seats," said Crowley.
"The city school system is charged with educating our youths. And when teachers cannot effectively teach, its the students that lose."