Misael Nunez and Isaac Abreu (right), both from Junior High School 190 in Forest Hills, protest the possible closure of the Beacon program at their school at a rally on Thursday, April 19. JHS 190 is one of many schools throughout New York City that could lose the after-school program in June. Forum Newsgroup Photo by Luis Gronda.
Chants of “save our beacon” “no more cuts” and “we won’t stop!” echoed loudly outside of Queens Borough Hall on Thursday, April 19, as several Queens schools rallied to protest the possible closure of their Beacon after-school programs.
Eight schools across the five boroughs are slated to lose their Beacon programs at the end of the school year in June, which will be chosen from a list of sixteen schools. Half of those 16 schools on the list are in Queens, and ultimately, two of those Queens schools will lose their program.
The eight Queens schools that could lose their Beacon programs include JHS 190 in Forest Hills, PS 169 in Bayside and JHS 226 in Flushing.
The Beacon Program offers services such as homework tutoring, leadership development, high school preparation and web design.
David Slotnick, program director for five different after-school programs, including the one at PS 169, served as the master of ceremonies for the rally, which was held by the Campaign for Children, an advocacy group pushing for the city to save the Beacon programs from being cut. The rally coincided with a study they released on how Queens would be affected if it lost the two Beacon programs.
Slotnick first introduced Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, one of many Queens public officials to speak out against the Beacon programs closing.
Marshall said that she had after-school programs to go to when she was in public school and that these children should have the same services available to them. She also praised the kids for coming to Queens Borough Hall and standing up for their Beacon program.
“Today, you are participating in the government of our city,” Marshall said. “You
a group of other young students brandishes signs and shouts support for their endangered program. Forum Newsgroup Photo by Luis Gronda.
are here to say, as citizens of this country and of this borough, that you want to keep your programs.”
She also said that they held protests last year to save the Beacon programs and they’re determined to prevent the cuts once again.
“We’re going to win this, you hear me?” Marshall said, which produced a loud cheer from the students.
Assemblywoman Grace Meng and Assemblyman Rory Lancman, two of the democratic candidates for the 6th Congressional District, also spoke in favor of keeping the programs.
Meng said that cutting the after-school programs would be a “slap in the face” to working parents who want to keep their kids in a safe place while they work. Lancman said the after-school programs are just as important as the schools themselves.
Lorraine O’Connell, who has been a part of the Beacon program at JHS 190 for four years, said that the program means more to the children than a place to go after school.
“It is safe haven, a sanctuary, a place to truly be themselves in an enriching environment and, most importantly, it is a family,” O’Connell said.
Patrick Pinchinat, director of the Beacon Program at JHS 190, said that if their school lost the Beacon Program, the kids enrolled in the program would have less structure in their lives in terms of what they should do after school. He also said the parents of those kids trust the people that work at the program, and cutting it would leave them frantically searching for someone else to watch their kids.
The study done by the Campaign for Children found that the Out Of School Time (OST) after-school programs are facing a 39 percent reduction in Queens, from 83 programs to 51 programs, to cover all of Queens. It also found that the proposed cuts would slash almost 16,000 child care slots and nearly 32,000 spots for after-school programs. According to the same study, the latest cuts would leave 90,000 children without access to either of those programs.
By Luis Gronda
