Several eastern Queens officials joined together last Thursday to celebrate the expansion of P.S. 24Q Andrew Jackson in Flushing.
On Thursday, Sept. 27, Councilman Peter Koo, Assemblywoman Nily Rozic and state Senator Toby Stavisky joined school leaders for ribbon-cutting ceremony in honor of the state-of-the-art improvements made to P.S. 24Q, located at 45-57 Union St. Enhancements included 488 new seats for every grade, 28 new classrooms, a rooftop playground, dance studio, science and technology labs and a pre-K program.
“With our new building, our youngest students are able to attend pre-K with their older siblings, our kindergarten students have returned from P.S. 107Q, and all of our children have the opportunities to explore in their new music, dance and art studios, create and experiment in their technology, science and STEM labs, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings in their classrooms,” said P.S. 24Q Principal Debra Cassidy.
In 2015 120 kindergarten students at P.S. 24 have had to attend classes in trailers due to an overcrowding issue. QNS reported that the trailers were parked on the school’s basketball court. Students from the school had also been temporarily transferred to local school P.S. 107 Thomas A. Dooley in Flushing.
A year after the complaints of overcrowding, the school announced that it would create a new building to better accommodate its student body and also make improvements to the school.
“This new expansion will provide critical overcrowding relief and instructional space to one of our area’s flagship elementary schools,” Councilman Koo said. “Flushing is undergoing a period of rapid growth, and it is imperative that the infrastructure of our schools keeps pace with the population. Many thanks to the leadership at P.S. 24, the SCA, and School District 25 who pushed for and prioritized this needed expansion.”
Improvements to P.S. 24Q were made thanks to the efforts of School District 25. In addition to the current expansion, future improvements to the school are also in the works, including the construction of two additional classrooms, lobby renovations, bathrooms and offices for the special education team, parent coordinator and after-school program.
