New York Schools Plan to Expand Capacity

Robert Jackson, Chair of the Committee on Education, hosts a city council hearing on the New York City Department of Education's new capital plan. (Christine Lin/The Epoch Times)

NEW YORK—The New York City Department of Education (DOE) is continuing to expand capacity in its schools, with 34,000 more seats from the current capital plan and 25,000 seats in the fiscal year 2010-2014 capital plan.

The plan, whose first draft was released last month, is meant mainly to upgrade facilities and to ease classroom overcrowding in existing buildings. The DOE opened 18 school buildings this fall and is anticipating the opening of campuses on Metropolitan Ave. in Queens, Mott Haven in the Bronx, Beekman Place, and Battery Park City.

All schools that were designed beginning from January 2007 are environmentally, “green-designed schools,” said DOE Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm during a city council hearing on the new capital plan Tuesday.

In total, the budget is $11.3 billion, with $5.2 billion dedicated to expanding capacity and $6.1 billion dedicated to facility enhancement and remediation. To cope with tough financial times, Mayor Michael Bloomberg mandated that all City agencies must reduce spending by 20 per cent. The figures in the new capital plan represent an 18.1 per cent reduction in spending from the current plan.

The capital improvements portion of the plan will focus on maintaining the exteriors of buildings. The $6.1 billion allocated to this portion of the plan is divided almost evenly to address serious conditions in improving technology and facilities, and making sure that facilities meet building code standards.

A new focus of the DOE is to address overcrowding by neighborhood rather than by district. It estimates that the neighborhoods of North and South Corona, Lefrak City, and Elmhurst will need 2,214 new seats, more than any other neighborhoods in the city. To assess the enrollment needs by neighborhood, the DOE and School Construction Authority examine trends from each neighborhood’s housing sector, rezoning projects, and consider reports from school principals.

Approximately 80 school buildings will see their leases expire in 2010-2014. The FY2010-2014 plan builds off the current five-year plan (FY2005-2009), rolling over 8,000 seats from the current plan that have yet to be sited. The DOE expects most of the new seats to be created during school years beginning in Fall 2009 and Fall 2010.

From now until January, the DOE will seek public input on the new capital plan. On January 9, Community Education Councils are required to submit their comments on the plans. In February, the second draft of the plan will be released. Then in March, the updated plan will be submitted to the city council for its approval in June.

Parents and educators interested in shaping the new capital plan can do so by joining their district’s Community Education Council.