EAST WILLIAMSBURG — Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña's visit to Williamsburg and Greenpoint Monday night touched on a wide swath of issues pressing to local parents — including the best way to boost after-school programming and how to handle new charter schools.
Fariña spoke with about 200 local community members at P.S. 250, located at 108 Montrose Ave., as part of a Community Education Council event for District 14.
In response to multiple questions about how to increase after-school programming, the chancellor recommended that principals start considering allowing some employees to come in late and leave late so that they can run the programs.
She also suggested offering organizations who can't afford their rent space in schools in exchange for scholarships that would allow a percentage of kids free access to after-school activities that usually charge fees.
"You gotta be creative," Fariña said. "You gotta be inventive."
With the addition of charter schools in the district, Community Education Council 14 president Tesa Wilson said some parents had anxiety over increasing segregation and the loss of resources.
But Fariña said there was little she could do to stop the proliferation of charters, urging parents to contact their state elected officials with any concerns.
She added that parents do have a choice in where they send their children, and that public schools could do a better job of "tooting our own horns" to attract students.
She encouraged schools to host more open houses for parents of potential students and also for community members like local business owners, who can be ambassadors for the school.
"We need to do a better job of publicizing what we’re doing well," Fariña said.
Other topics Farina discussed include:
► COMMON CORE AND TESTING: Fariña said she likes many aspects of Common Core State Standards, defending the initiative for helping teach students how to support their ideas and how to read nonfiction. Testing is necessary for comparison purposes, she said, but that doesn't mean the classroom should be filled with test prep. Good teaching will get students ready for tests, the chancellor said.
► ON STRUGGLING KIDS: Students struggling with coursework, including English Language Learners and special-needs students, should get more support through more specialized training for teachers, Fariña said. She plans to speak closely with universities to discuss proper training for special-needs, ELL and dual-language programs.
An additional $1 million that's been invested in speech teachers should help prevent students from having to enter special-needs classes, as will next year's summer school program, she added.
► ON OLDER KIDS STAYING IN YOUNGER GRADES: Some parents were worried about how schools were dealing with older children who are held back in younger grades, raising the possibility of bullying.
Fariña said she's started programs specifically for over-age middle school students who aren't ready to go to high school, so students can receive special guidance and services. Five programs have already opened, and the DOE is looking to open more, she said.
She's also looking to open more CTE programs, or career and technical education classes that help prepare older students for specific jobs in fields like plumbing, technology and filmmaking.
► ON HEALTH AND WELLNESS: The DOE is encouraging more schools to have their own gardens — either on their roofs, in front of schools or in boxes — to create more wellness awareness, Fariña said. She's also looking to expand programs that teach students how to cook.
Schools can also focus their cafeterias on being fun, healthy places by improving the atmosphere or implementing policies like no hot food before picking up salad, she said.
"We have to make a lunchroom a happy place," she said, "not a place where people are screaming at people, throwing food."
