By Patrick Donachie
A charter school network that operates 34 schools throughout the city is planning to open two new elementary schools in southeastern Queens.
Success Academy, headed by former City Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz, announced plans to open seven new schools in New York City in a March 17 release.
The list of new schools includes one in Far Rockaway at 10-45 Nameoke St. and another in South Jamaica at 120-27 141 St., the former site of the John Adams High School Jumpstart Academy. Three more elementary schools and two middle schools will be built in Brooklyn. Success Academy currently operates two schools in Queens; one is in Springfield Gardens at 132-55 Ridgedale St. and the other is at 147-65 249 St. in Rosedale.
The five new elementary schools will supply 750 new seats for children in kindergarten and first grade, and the schools will admit students with a random lottery selection. Success Academy submitted charter applications to SUNY (Success’ authorizers) because of demand from parents in the area, according to Chapin Fay, a vice president at Mercury LLC, which is a public relations firm that started representing Success Academy in February.
“Success Academy solicits community feedback in many ways, including by canvassing the streets and holding informational events,” he wrote in an e-mail. “Canvassers provide information and collect input while visiting community centers, parks, local businesses, day cares, and other locations.”
He also said the organization had gathered more than 2,000 signatures from community members indicating interest in a new Success Academy school for the area.
Success Academy was founded in 2006 and operates 34 schools in the city, enrolling approximately 11,000 students. Some 74 percent of the students receive free or reduced-price lunch, according to the organization’s website, and there were 22,000 applications for approximately 2,300 open spaces last year.
However, the organization has suffered from frequent
