By Julie Shapiro
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
TRIBECA — TriBeCa families who did not get into P.S. 234 learned last week where their children will go to kindergarten.
Of the 21 TriBeCa kids still on P.S. 234’s waitlist last week, 10 got into the Spruce Street School near City Hall; seven got into P.S. 276 in southern Battery Park City; and four got into P.S. 3 in Greenwich Village.
Stan Sandberg, who lives on Murray Street, was pleased when he found out his daughter initially received a seat at the Spruce Street School, which is close to his home and was his second choice after P.S. 234.
Then Sandberg got even better news: A space had just opened up at P.S. 234, and his daughter, originally No. 52 on the P.S. 234 waitlist, was accepted to the coveted TriBeCa school after all.
“I’m very, very happy,” Sandberg said Monday morning. “I always felt like a part of that community.”
P.S. 234 has accepted about 40 children off the waitlist so far, mainly by adding an extra kindergarten class.
As of Monday, about 15 children remained on the 234 waitlist after receiving offers from other schools. P.S. 234 will continue offering seats as they become available, through Oct. 1.
While Sandberg said he was glad to hear every child now had a seat in lower Manhattan, he added that the neighborhood's overcrowding problem is not over. He and other parents expect even more children to apply to kindergarten next year, as new buildings open downtown.
“This is just the start of what will be a chronic issue,” Sandberg said.
The city intends to build a new elementary school downtown, possibly at the Peck Slip Post Office, but it would not open for at least another few years.
