Town Hall On Proposed New Schools
In the Performance Dome of MoMA P.S. 1 in Long Island City, local lawmakers and members of the District 30 Community Education Council (CEC 30) hosted a town hall meeting last Wednesday, Oct. 17 with Department of Education (DOE) officials to answer parents’ questions about the impact that two new schools in Hunters Point would have on their children.
The DOE and School Construction Authority answered questions regarding P.S. 312, a 542-seat K-8 school, and I.S./H.S. 404, an intermediate/ high school seating 1,072 students. Both schools are set to open in September 2013.
It was the first opportunity for parents to ask questions about the ways in which the new schools would affect their children, whether they be at school in nearby P.S. 78, in pre-K or before pre-K.
Over 200 parents attended the event, asking questions ranging from the zoning options for P.S. 312 to programming at the high school to questions about application to the new schools.
“Every day, these parents see school buildings being constructed all around them, but they have not had the opportunity to ask the Department of Education how the schools would actually affect their children,” said City Council Member Van Bramer. “Bringing information to the residents of Long Island City and bringing their desires for programming and zoning of the schools to the attention of the Department of Education and School Construction Authority is essential in creating a healthy and prosperous community. This town hall answered a lot of questions for parents and leaders alike.”
State Sen. Michael Gianaris added that “as we continue to deal with difficult decisions caused by tight budgets, the opening of two new schools in our neighborhood is terrific news. It is important that the infrastructure keeps pace with the increasing development in our local communities. Opening two new schools in Hunters Point is a good start to ensuring children growing up here have access to quality, local education.”
“This was a productive town hall and we were given many updates on P.S. 78 and I.S. 404,” noted Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan.
“The Hunters Point community showed up in force to hear good news about zoning for the new middle school and grade school being built,” said CEC 30 Co-President Jeff Guyton. “Concerns were expressed about the ongoing and rapid increase in residential growth and elected officials and CEC 30 vowed to continue pressing for more schools to be built.”
