Parents that live in the Community Education Council (CEC) District 27 will have one last chance to voice their opinions and concerns on the controversial middle school choice proposal.
The District 27 President’s Council will host a presentation of the middle school choice proposal on Monday, Feb. 6 at P.S 65 in Ozone Park at 6 p.m. The Department of Education’s (DOE) Division of Portfolio Planning will put on the presentation for parents that attend the meeting.
Since it was first introduced in June 2011, the middle school choice proposal has sparked much anger from District 27 parents who strongly dislike the proposed plan.
Theresa Fonal, president of Parent Teachers Association 27 (PTA), has been a strong opponent of the plan and going into Monday’s presentation, she, along with the rest of the PTA members, intends to make it clear that they don’t need to hear any more presentations about middle school choice.
“We would just like the DOE and the CEC to know that we don’t have any more questions,”said Fonal, who has two children who attend P.S/M.S 146 in Howard Beach. “We don’t want middle school choice.”
The plan would give students the option of applying to schools outside of their zoned middle school. Students would be given priority to the school closest to their residence if they apply to other schools and do not get in.
But Fonal’s concern about the plan is that students aren’t guaranteed a seat in their zoned school if he or she decides to apply to another school and is rejected. She’s afraid that kids could lose their seat in their nearest middle school, forcing them to go to another school farther away.
“I moved to Howard Beach because that’s where I want my children to go to school,” Fonal said.
Fonal added that she thinks that the plan would force kids to go to a lower-performing school, like I.S. 53 in Far Rockaway. According to the 2010-11 schools progress report on the DOE’s website, P.S/M.S 146 received a B grade and I.S 53 got an F.
Parents at last week’s CEC 27 meeting continued to voice their concerns for the proposed plan.
Sally Ann Sinisgalli, who also has two kids who go to P.S/M.S 146 and lives two blocks from the school, is concerned about her children traveling to another school if they were to lose their seat at the Howard Beach school.
“My children shouldn’t have to take a bus or a train to a school much further away,” Sinisgalli said at the meeting.
CEC 27 president Coralanne Griffith-Hunte commended parents at the meeting for their opinions and their passion on this issue since it first was proposed. She added that the CEC would take all of their thoughts into account as they vote on the plan.
Griffith-Hunte did not respond to questions for this article by press time. CEC 27 will vote on middle school choice at their next meeting on Feb. 27 at P.S 306 in Woodhaven.
By Luis Gronda
