Some UWS classrooms are especially overcrowded.
Borough President Gale Brewer is holding a hearing on March 8 to address a persistent problem in New York public schools: overcrowding. Despite a court order demanding higher funding, advocates say the state continues to underfund city schools, and students in the Upper West Side and elsewhere sometimes attend classes inside trailers and or in school hallways. While first grade classes in city schools have as many as 32 students, elementary schools in wealthier districts such as Scarsdale have a maximum of 22 per class. At PS 199 on 70th street, overcrowding has led to safety concerns, including logjams during fire drills.
A website from the Alliance for Quality Education shows parents how much their school is owed by the state: PS 191, for instance, is owed nearly $1 million per year, or $2,164.58 per student.
According to Brewer, “there are budget proposals in Albany which could direct hundreds of millions of dollars in new funding to city schools. If passed, that funding could be transformational: news science labs, art and music studios, and mental health clinics could enhance the educational experience beyond imagination.”
She’s holding a hearing with the Alliance for Quality Education on March 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. at P.S. 125, 425 West 123rd Street. RSVP here. If you have questions, reach out to policy analyst Ayisha Irfan at 212-669-8146 or airfan@manhattanbp.nyc.gov.
Photo via UBerkeley.
