More opponents have stepped up to fight the city and its plans to put an early college inside Martin Van Buren High School.
“We’re finally climbing out of this rut we were dug into by the DOE,” said junior Sharon Kaur. “Our voices should be heard.”
About 40 speakers signed up at an October 23 public hearing to discuss the six-year Early College and Career Technical Education (CTE) High School program proposed inside the struggling Queens Village school.
Most were teachers and students against the Department of Education’s (DOE) plans.
“There’s no room intellectually and physically for another school,” said Frank Suriano, a social studies teacher. “It’s total nonsense. It’s got to stop.”
But some, including leaders from nine of the largest civic associations in eastern Queens, supported plans they say would “fast track” positive changes.
The new school is modeled after a P-Tech design that has been lauded by President Barack Obama. It would give students a chance to get a free Queensborough Community College associate’s degree while in high school, education officials said.
The early college would also focus on computer science and business technology and give students “real-world work experience” through internships, according to the DOE.
“Across the city, we’ve transformed the landscape with our new school options — and we’ve been nationally recognized by President Obama for our visionary offerings,” said DOE spokesperson Harry Hartfield.
However, Sanjay Patel, director of specialized programs at Van Buren, said the school already has CUNY partnerships and college-ready science programs in the engineering, pre-med, law, forensics and computer technology fields.
“This is a huge step forward toward the transformation and rise of our school,” he said.
Students in the early college program would also have to complete internships and take off-site classes at QCC, Patel and city officials said.
“We have ours right here,” Patel said. “I want the CTE to see what we’re doing.”
The new school would open next fall if the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) approves the plans October 30.
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