Sept. 8, 2012 By Christian Murray
Many Sunnyside and Woodside children who attend elementary school on the Northern side of Queens Blvd may no longer be spending their middle school years at IS 125.
Officials are in preliminary discussions about sending children who complete PS 150 (40-01 43 Avenue) and PS11 (54-25 Skillman Ave.) to a brand new school located at 1-50 51st Avenue in Long Island City.
Many argue that IS 125 (46-02 47th Ave.) is overcrowded, pointing to the many trailers that dot the school yard. They claim that sending the children to Long Island City would reduce the overcrowding problem at IS 125, while providing students at 150 and PS11 with an opportunity to go to a brand new school.
“New schools tend to be good schools,” said Jennifer Harper, who is on the 11-person Community Education Council, which represents residents before the Department of Education. “They don’t start off being bad schools.”
Furthermore, PS 150 and PS 11 are within school District 30 where the new school will be located, while IS 125 is in District 24.
The new school, I.S. / H.S. 404, is scheduled to open in Sept. 2013 and is part of the 5,000 unit Hunters Point South development.
The decision to send children to the new school is “still a nascent idea,” said Jeff Guyton, co-president of the Community Education Council. However, “I’m about to talk to parents at PS 150 and PS11 and the PTAs to see if they support it.”
If they don’t, Guyton said, the Community Education Council would not recommend the idea to the Department of Education. However, if parents want it, the Community Education Council would fight for it and it most likely would happen. “We are looking for feedback,” Guyton said.
However, there are many considerations. For instance, many children would have to travel a much greater distance to get there.
