Bayside school’s computers need update

The oldest school in Bayside, P.S. 31 is struggling with outdated computers according to parents who recently petitioned community leaders for money to update the school’s computer lab.
“Please don’t let the oldest school in Bayside … be burdened with the oldest technology,” pleaded mom Karen Hubela at the Community Board 11 meeting on Monday, April 11.
Currently, the school’s lab is outfitted with 36 student workstations and one instructor’s computer, none of which have been updated in eight years.
Last year, the school’s request for a grant to update technology was denied, and the City Council is now considering grant proposals, which are expected to be decided on in May.
City Councilmember Tony Avella has already met with P.S. 31 officials to determine the school’s needs, but a spokesperson for Avella’s office said that Avella was not ready to comment on whether P.S. 31’s application would be approved because the Council is still in the early stages of devising the budget.
Monetary amounts allocated for projects like computer labs generally range from $160,000 to $300,000.
As the Recording Secretary for the schools Parent Teacher Association (PTA), Hubela said she visits P.S. 31, located 211-45 46th Road, regularly for meetings.
“The furniture is arranged nicely for younger kids, and everything looks all set to go. And on the desks are all the old computers,” she said.
As a result, an estimated 600 students, including Hubela’s eight-year-old son, Louis, are put at a disadvantage, she said. At the meeting, Louis and his school pal, Brian Ross, 8, jokingly carved a stone tablet with a chisel and hammer to illustrate the type of outdated technology now being used in their school.
“It’s a fine school … We could use a little help,” Hubela said.