Parents Still Fretting About Kindergarten Placement

A few months ago, parents of kindergarten-bound children were upset at the Department of Education keeping them in limbo by putting the kids on waiting lists for placement. Now, the waiting lists have shrunk, thanks to families picking other programs or moving out, but the NY Times reports, "Still, 474 pupils across the city remain on waiting lists and will have to attend other nearby schools if spots do not open up, an outcome parents said was unacceptable." The DOE, which points out that the number represents 1% of the incoming class, believes the waiting lists will continue to decrease, but one former parent council member told the Times, "Their responsibility isn’t making progress; their responsibility is solving the problem. There are still many families biting their fingernails." And an Upper East Side mother, whose son is waitlisted at PS 290 on East 82nd, said to the Daily News, "I came very close to moving out of the city because of this situation. If they're looking to push their taxpayers out, they're doing a very good job."

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By Jen Chung in News on July 8, 2009 8:49 AM

Comments [rss]

Trilby16

Gosh, are you guys all too young to remember that couples used to ALWAYS move to the suburbs when they had kids? People never raised kids in Manhatten till the mid-90's, I think. This kid explosion is something entirely new. I'm not talking so much about the boroughs, obviously.

Anyway, to the lady who thinks she's gonna hurt the city by taking her tax dollars elsewhere-- go for it! It would cost more to build new schools than your revenues will pay for.

nicemarmot

I'm already planning on leaving when I have kids...this city is too expensive and too shitty to try to raise kids in. Why deal with all the crap surrounding the schools here when you can just leave? We can go to the burbs and be half an hour away and completely skip all these issues.

Rocknrope

This is what happens when you build all these dumbass condo developments encouraging families to stay and raise their children here, but not increase the capacity of schools at the same time. Good urban planning, NYC.

Felix Hoenikker

Perhaps they can school them in trailers like they do in FL.

Global Wombat

Wow. This actually happened to me back when I was still in High School there.

korijane

They have floated this idea for some K classes. No joke. There was even talk of putting said trailers in front of Gracie Mansion.

felixthecat2

CFE monies not going to reduce class size or for the failure to build new schools in expanding neighborhoods, or for the lack of creation of adequate school libraries. Tons of money wasted on consultants, bogus educational programs, inappropriate textbooks, suspect accountability systems;