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P.S. 277 Parents Upset About Possible Charter School Takover of Fifth Floor

By Eddie Small | November 14, 2014 5:06pm
 Parents at P.S. 277 are upset that their school may have to share space with the Academic Leadership Charter School.
Parents at P.S. 277 are upset that their school may have to share space with the Academic Leadership Charter School.
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DNAinfo/Eddie Small

MOTT HAVEN — Parents at P.S. 277, which city administrators deemed under capacity, are livid that a charter school may move into their building, squeezing out their current music, art and gym space.

The Department of Education is considering moving the Academic Leadership Charter School, an elementary school looking to start serving grades six through eight, into the same 519 St. Anns Ave. building.

Although the agency stressed that no final decision had been made, more than 100 P.S. 277 parents have already signed a petition against the idea.

Geneal Chacon, president of the public school's Parents Association and the mother of three students, said the Academic Leadership school would be located on the building's fifth floor, which currently houses P.S. 277's gym, art program, therapy room, after school program, technology lab and music room.

"How are our kids going to use the technology room now?" she asked, adding that officials were hoping to put a green room for plants on the fifth floor as well, but there will probably not be room for this if the Academic Leadership school moves in.

P.S. 277 also recently got a grant to improve the wiring on the fifth floor, according to Chacon, and this has increased parents' resentment about possibly having to give up the space.

"We did all the leg work, and you guys get the best floor?" asked Katiria Rivera, who has a son in fifth grade and is treasurer of the Parents Association. "That’s not fair to our kids."

Naomi Licardi, who has volunteered at P.S. 277 for six years and has a daughter in fifth grade, expressed concern that students coming in from a new school could negatively impact the culture P.S. 277 has cultivated, summed up in its mantra of "Be respectful. Be responsible. Be safe."

"The issue is that right now, everybody here, we are on the same page," she said. "The kids follow instructions."

Chacon similarly worried that having P.S. 277 share space with a charter school could lead to bullying issues, a problem she said the school has already been working on.

Multiple parents also said that a charter school would inhibit P.S. 277's ability to grow as a community. They questioned why people were not focusing more on the possibility of increasing enrollment or grades within P.S. 277 instead of letting another school use the building.

"We have room to grow, absolutely. It is agreed," said Rivera. "But within our own public system. Why do we need to bow down for a charter school?"

Representatives from the Academic Leadership school did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Both P.S. 277 and the Academic Leadership school are located in the DOE's District 7, where more than 70 percent of schools are under capacity, according to the most recent data available from the department's Blue Book.

Academic Leadership school, located just half a mile away from P.S. 277 at 677 East 141st St., is listed as overcrowded, with 347 enrolled students and a target capacity of 238.

However, Chacon maintained that even with just 435 students enrolled, P.S. 277 was still tight on space and that trying to fit 851 students in the building would lead to safety issues, particularly when trying to exit the school during an emergency.

"How can over 800 kids fit in this building?" she asked. "I know they put it like that. I don't believe it."

The Academic Leadership school is currently, according to the DOE.

The DOE did not answer questions about the number of students that would be involved with the co-location and when this move would occur.

The principal of the Academic Leadership school and P.S. 277's school leadership team are scheduled to meet on Nov. 24 at P.S. 277, according to Chacon. They are still trying to confirm the time.

A Deputy Chancellor will do a walkthrough of the site, and the DOE will look for feedback from families and school leaders before making any final decisions.

"This is an ongoing process," DOE spokesman Harry Hartfield said in an email, "and we are listening to the concerns of families and communities."