Submitted by Robert H., Nov 8, 2006 22:37

This school is NOT going to open "its" doors next year. The site where it will eventually reside has yet to begin demolition of the current structure at Broadway and 125th. In reality, the building is at least 4 to 6 years from completion.

Instead, Columbia plans to start stuffing an estimated 100 6th graders into nearby PS 36 at 122nd and Amsterdam. PS 36 was designed and built in 1964 for SMALL CHILDREN. It currently serves pre-k, kindergarten, first, and second grades only. It has no gym. It has no auditoreum. It doesn't even have common girls and boys toilets in the hallways! Rather, each classroom has a single toilet in a water closet in the corner, which is more suitable to the 4- to 7-yr-olds who are the only children who have ever attended this school.

Now, Columbia plans to occupy rooms in this Early Childhood school. They intend to put 100 6th graders there in Sep. 2007. Then, another 100 6th graders plus the original 100 as 7th graders in 2008. Another 100 each year until they max out at 650 students.

The BoE's own estimate is that this small school has room for 868 students max. It currently has 550 enrolled. That leaves room for a theoretical 318 more students, right? No, because the only rooms that are open to these new 6th graders are currently being used by afterschool programs, arts enrichment classes, and the like. Stuffing the 6th grade students in our arts and activity rooms will prevent our arts and our activities.

Plus, after only two years, the total number of students will reach the magic limit of 868. And anyway, is it really true that the space required for one 1st grader is equal to the space required for one 8th grader? The math simply does not add up, because 550 young kids plus 650 jr high and high school kids is far more than the limit of 868 students.

But wait, doesn't Columbia plan to be out of PS 36 as soon as their new school is built? Sure, whenever that happens. That particular chicken should not be counted until it is hatched. There are massive, long-running, organized groups opposing and delaying Columbia's entire Morningside Heights expansion. Who knows when or if the school will actually be built.

I am the parent of a 2nd grader at this marvelous school PS 36, and I attended a meeting tonight of more than 100 angry, upset, appalled parents who were told nothing of this until a few days ago. In fact, the Principal of the school didn't know anything about these plans until two weeks ago, at which time they were being floated as mere ideas. In a mere two weeks, these ideas have morphed into an apparent fait accompli.

What's more, we parents are concerned about the safety of our 4- to 7-yr-old children when mixed with hundreds of 12- to 18-yr-old children. There are good reasons why middle school children are separated from grade school kids, and these reasons run the gamut from hormones to drugs to gang violence to peer pressures and disparate needs and interests.

It's not like Columbia will occupy the building forever. They want to move in, make some modifications to the building, occupy it for years, and then leave. Wham. Bam. Thank you, Board of Ed. Are they going to undo their renovations when they leave? Will they provide extra security personnel to help prevent the older kids from hurting the younger kids? While they're there, we fear for the safety of our children as well as the quality of their education. And, it's surely not ideal for the older kids either.

Columbia is free to open the doors of its new school when it's truly their doors that they're opening.

Sincerely,

Robert H.
Parent of PS 36 child

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