Last night at P.S. 71Q in Ridgewood, while students played and filled the gymnasium next door with laughter and screams, Community Education Council 24 (CEC) held its monthly meeting and discussed in detail the process by which schools apply for needed construction projects and upgrades, as well as the surprising fact that a majority of schools within the district are still experiencing declining enrollment.
According to D24 Superintendent Anthony Rivera, 34 out of 40 schools in the district were listed as under-enrolled. The deadline to meet the projected number of students was Oct. 31, and because each school’s funding is directly tied to the number of pupils, schools that did not meet that number technically owe money back into the public school system. Rivera stated that the discrepancy is not unique to District 24, and many schools citywide experienced the same problem.
“As far back as I’ve been able to see, we have not been in that situation and it’s not just District 24… the whole system has seen a decrease of over 20,000 students [this year],” Rivera said.
The plunge of 2.4% is the steepest decrease in enrolled students over the past four years, according to the Department of Education. However, none of the under-enrolled schools will be receiving cuts as part of NY DE’s “held harmless” policy, which started during the COVID-19 pandemic and was continued due to popular demand. Approximately 65% of New York’s schools are set to be spared from cutbacks due to the policy, which will keep around $250 million in the budget between all of them.
Also on the agenda was a vote for Resolution 187, which amends Chancellor Regulation A-655 to allow videoconferencing to be used in School and District Leadership Teams (SLT) meetings. The amendment aims to include parents with stricter work schedules, young children at home and people with disabilities within the meetings, should they not be able to attend in person. The only concern posed by a council member was on the potential administrative burden, but the resolution still passed unanimously.
Danielle Schaaff, Manager of External Affairs for Queens at the School Construction Authority (SCA), spoke for some time to explain to both council members and parents the fine details that go into fixing up New York’s public schools, a majority of which are over 80 years old. Schaaff also mentioned the Queens Boulevard site in Woodside: a project that will provide around 150 affordable housing units and 451 new elementary school seats. The towers under construction, one 12 stories and the other 15, will feature the school in the ground and basement levels, which are set to become operational in September 2026, which Schaaff said is coming out “beautifully” as workers are just now beginning to paint the walls.
Schaaff said the SCA’s primary goal is to ensure the safety of all students, and each potential repair is given a priority rating from 1-5 during an annual assessment. Currently, the largest official projects include exterior masonry projects at nine different schools and two window replacements, altogether costing around $35 million. But the SCA still has many other smaller projects it completes throughout the year.
“Some highlights within District 24 since our new capital plan started at FY25, there have been close to $11 million on 37 auditorium projects, 24 playgrounds at $12 million and 10 library renovations, at $4.5 million,” Schaaff said.
Principal Indiana Soto expressed gratitude to both Schaaff and the SCA for the several projects, both ongoing and completed at P.S. 71Q, which included upgrades to both the auditorium and the PA system, as well as a new sensory room for younger students to enjoy, which is soon to be finished. Soto reminded parents in attendance that they and their kids playing in the gymnasium would have to be up bright and early for the following school day, and thanked them for coming as the council proceeded with other business.
“Danielle here is not doing any justice of her role in empowering us to lead and evolve within the largest urban school district,” Soto said. “We have an upgraded music room, the sensory room, a multimedia center and the hydroponics lab that your children talk about all the time… she’s on 9-1-1 for us, so to see her here, I want to cry because she really does help all of us, especially principals… so thank you Danielle for being the voice for us getting us what we need and your professionalism.”
