LAND PURCHASED FOR NEW PS/IS IN KENSINGTON

A proposal for the construction of P.S./I.S. 437 in Kensington to alleviate serious overcrowding was adopted unanimously by the New York City Council on November 29th. The school will be a public primary and intermediate school for grades pre-kindergarten through 8.

Plans call for an approximately 750-seat school about 20,000 square feet in size, to be opened in 2015. It'll be located within School District 15, Community Board 7, and City Council District 39.

The school will be built in the now-empty lot at 701-11 Caton Avenue; the property is generally bounded by Kermit Place to the north, Caton Avenue to the south, East 8th Street to the east, and East 7th Street to the west.

Two days ago, the New York City School Construction Authority bought the lot from 701 Caton Avenue Realty LLC for $8.8 million.

The Department of Education's Deputy Chancellor for Portfolio Planning addressed some of the concerns raised by Councilmember Brad Lander and area residents in the letter below. 

Click here for the agenda, minutes, and a video about this and other legislation discussed by the City Council on November 29th.

SCHOOL MATTERS

From New York City Councilmember Brad Lander

Over the past few days, I've heard from many of you, furious with Mayor Bloomberg's nomination of the absurdly unqualified Cathie Black for NYC schools chancellor.

I agree. As I wrote on Huffington Post the nomination of Ms. Black – with no background in education, no track record of public service or knowledge of government, and no demonstrated commitment to public education – through a brazenly secret process, reeks of contempt for democracy and disregard for our kids.

And there's more at stake than just cronyism. Her appointment is also a symbol of a critical choice we are facing: Are our public schools a place to educate well−rounded citizens for the New York City of tomorrow? Or are they the junior academy of corporate America, oriented around test−taking and the bottom line?

So, it's time to stand up for our schools.

Right now online

Because she has no educational experience, under State Law Ms. Black requires a waiver stating that her "exceptional training and experience are the substantial equivalent" of teaching experience and academic credentials. How anyone could make this argument with a straight face, I'm really not sure.

Sign this petition to urge State Education Commissioner David Steiner not to grant her a waiver.

I'll be working with my colleagues in the Council, other elected officials, parents, educators, and allies in this effort over the next week.

Wednesday at City Hall

Councilmember Jumaane Williams has introduced a City Council Resolution calling on the State to deny the waiver to Ms. Black. Join me and other members of the City Council on the steps of City Hall at 11 a.m. on Wednesday in support of Councilmember Williams's Resolution.

This Friday morning at a local school

Join parents and educators from local schools in a protest against the Mayor's plans to make public the so-called "grades" of individual teachers, based solely on the test scores of the kids in their classrooms. This system bears little or no relationship to good teaching. As I wrote in the Huffington Post piece, "test-score-based public shaming is not the approach of a self-respecting democratic society."

When: Friday, November 19th @ 8:15 a.m.

Where: Events taking place at:

• PS 321, where I will be: 180 7th Avenue, Brooklyn
• MS 51: 350 5th Avenue, Brooklyn
• PS 29: 425 Henry Street, Brooklyn

... and the list is growing.

You can also sign a petition on this issue as well.

It is possible to have a well-run school system, with real accountability for teachers and principals, based on more than test scores and a corporate model. We can and must strive for a system in which all kids can demonstrate success in reading and math – and where they also become critical thinkers, creative writers and artists, and democratic citizens who can work together in teams.

But it sure doesn't look like the way that Mayor Bloomberg is headed right now, with test-score-based public shaming of teachers, and an unqualified schools chancellor nomination selected without process.

So please sign the waiver petition, check out my Huffington Post Op Ed, and come out to a neighborhood school to make your voice heard this Friday.

Serving the neighborhoods of Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Park Slope,
Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, and Kensington

456 5th Avenue, 3rd Floor * Brooklyn, NY 11215 * 718-499-1090

"SCHOOL FOOD ROCKS"

"School Food Rocks" Conference

Saturday, October 23rd, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

News from New York City Councilmember Brad Lander, who represents District 39, serving the neighborhoods of Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, and Kensington:

As I talk to the parents of public school students, one issue I've heard about often is school food - making it more nutritious and sustainable, and getting kids to eat healthy meals (not always at easy thing, I know, as the parent of a 7 year old and a 10 year old).

Many schools in our community have already taken some great steps forward - among other things, they're putting in salad bars, planting school gardens, working with SchoolFood staff on menus, getting rid of Styrofoam, reducing waste, and planning harvest days. As I educate myself further, I've learned that there are many ways for schools to improve the food they serve and that there are many actions we can take, as a city, to do better in feeding our children when they're not at home.

Toward that end, my office and parent leaders from local schools have been working together with the New York City Department of Education's Office of SchoolFood, the Brooklyn Food Coalition, GrowNYC, the District 15 Community Education Council and other organizations on the "School Food Rocks" conference, to be held Saturday, October 23rd.

"School Food Rocks" will bring together parents, educators, students, SchoolFood staff, and food activists to discuss how we can work together to achieve healthier and more sustainable school food throughout District 15. The conference will help schools get started or take next steps in improving their food programs, and strengthen the network of parents and school leaders working on food issues.

The conference will take place on Saturday, October 23rd, from 10am-3pm, at MS 51 (350 5th Avenue). You can register through our website. The day-long event will include an expo fair of sustainable school food programs; workshops on a range of topics; and keynote speeches from Chef Jorge (the first executive chef of the New York City schools) and celebrated author and "Renegade Lunch Lady" Chef Ann Cooper.

Topics covered at the conference will include:

• starting a school garden
• working with SchoolFood on implementing salad bars and healthy menus
• improving your schools' recycling program

Whether your school already has an active sustainable food program, or is just getting started, this conference will be a chance for you to share best practices and collect new information.

I hope you will join us on October 23. Click Click here to register!

I look forward to seeing you there!

SAVE OUR SCHOOLS--WRITE A LETTER OPPOSING THE BUDGET CUTS

Parents of public school children urgently need you to participate in a letter-writing campaign to prevent devastating budget cuts to our neighborhood schools. Please write to your state assemblymember, state senator, and the governor immediately and tell them to reconsider the budget cuts to schools.

The city budget is scheduled to pass THIS WEEK--but there is always a way to move money around within the budget before it gets passed.

Here are some easy steps you can take that could make a difference:

1. Call 311. Tell the operator that you do not approve of the budget cuts to public education. The mayor reviews these statistics regularly.
2. Copy the letter below (or write your own letter), and mail it to your state assemblymember, state senator, and the governor.
3. Make sure your local school is conducting a letter-writing campaign THIS WEEK.
4. Ask your neighbors to mail a letter. Letters and faxes carry the MOST weight with elected officials. Phone calls carry less weight. E-mails carry the least weight.

Below is a sample letter and the addresses of our local officials. To find out if your State Senator is Eric Adams (20th Senate District) or Kevin Parker (21st Senate District, see the map of Senator Adams' district and the map of Senator Parker's district.

SAMPLE LETTER

June 21, 2010

Recent announcements to cut school-based budgets by 4% or more (approximately $300 million) will devastate and destabilize our public school system. These cuts are in addition to prior budget cuts to New York City's public schools that amounted to an additional 8% since January 2008 (approximately $600 million).

Teachers, parents, and concerned New Yorkers urge you to reconsider the school-based cuts and review the central administrative spending more closely, specifically the proposed spending on new positions at the Department of Education headquarters; private, no-bid contracts; standardized testing; accountability measures that don’t provide accurate results; and new teacher recruitment.

Please do not take more money from our classrooms. This will lead to larger class sizes, elimination of course offerings, and fewer enrichment programs in our schools.

I strongly urge you to reconsider the target of your cuts and spending. Find other alternatives. Protect our public schools and public school teachers and the strength of our local communities.

Do not play politics with our children.
Make education your priority.
Fully fund our public schools.

Yours truly,

ADDRESSES AND OTHER CONTACT INFORMATION

State Senator Eric Adams
572 Flatbush Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11225
Phone: (718) 284-4700
Fax: (718) 282-3585

OR

State Senator Kevin Parker
1300 Flatbush Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11210
Phone: (718) 629-6401
Fax: (718) 629-6420

Assemblymember James F. Brennan
416 Seventh Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: (718) 940-0641

Governor David A. Paterson
Phone: (518) 474-8390
Email: fill out the form at
http://www.state.ny.us/governor/contact/GovernorContactForm.php

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
Fax: (212) 312-0700

Please help!

5K RUN/WALK TO BENEFIT BROOKLYN PTA

Saturday, May 1st, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Brooklyn PTA 5K Run/Walk for Schools

The Brooklyn PTA 5K Run/Walk for Schools raises funds in support of local public schools. Last year, more than 300 people participated!

After the event, there will be parent organizations, face painting, music, and other community-building activities.

The registration fee for participants is $15 per person or $25 per family. You can run as part of a school team or sign up as an individual and be assigned to a group.

You can also raise money through sponsorships (prizes will be awarded to the top fundraisers). Profits from the event will be split among the participating schools: 50% of the total will be divided evenly among all participating schools (those who recruited 20 or more participants) and the other 50% will be divided among schools based on the number of students in the school.

If your PTA isn't already involved, they just need to sign on and recruit 20 participants in order to share in the proceeds. You, your school, or your PTA can contact the organizers at either contact@brooklynpta.org or PTArunfortheschools@gmail.com.

The registration forms and additional information are on the Brooklyn PTA website. You can also register on-site on Saturday morning.

If you'd like to coordinate a group from your school or be a volunteer on the day of the race, send an e-mail to Jessica Turner at jturner@council.nyc.gov. Jessica is the Community Liaison for Kensington, Windsor Terrace, and Borough Park for our New York City Councilmember Brad Lander.

Meet at Prospect Park at the Bartel Pritchard Square entrance near Prospect Park West and 15th Street.

Race, walk, stroll, or toddle with your neighbors!