The Clinton School for Writers & Artists Relocation Committee

Meeting with Deborah Taylor, Director of Education and Youth Services 2/17/10

EVALUATION OF DOE’S PROPOSAL

For fall 2010, DOE proposes to permanently move PS 138, a D75 school of 100 special
ed students, out of PS 33, in order to make room “temporarily” for 300 Clinton
students. The PS 138 students would be split up among 4 different locations of varying
suitability, including M047/ASL which was determined to be wholly unsuitable by
Christine Quinn, Tom Duane and Scott Stringer in a letter to the DOE.

PURPOSE OF MOVE/BACKGROUND:
DOE continues to send increasing numbers of K classes each year to PS 11, though
nearby PS 33 remains underutilized. This has created an imbalance between those two
elementary schools as well as PS 11’s lower and upper grades. This year 3 fifth grade
classes will graduate, but there are 6 K classes. Next year DOE says they’re sending
them 7 K classes.

Simultaneous to PS 11 taking in additional K classes, they are holding onto their small
class size in order not to lose that funding. This surge of new K students combined with
small class size has created the need for an unusually large number of classrooms,
many with only 16 or 17 children, (see DOE chart), thus causing overcrowding
throughout the entire building, including for Clinton. With an average of 32 in our
classes at Clinton, we’re all for small class size, but not where it creates one school
complaining of overcrowding when its average class size is 20.34. Something is wrong
with this picture.

Clinton suggests less radical and punishing, and certainly more cost-effective solutions
for at least the next year until a new home for Clinton is purchased and a cogent plan
has been laid out. As a result of our proposals, not one child from PS 138 would have to
be torn from the location where they are thriving.

IMMEDIATE OBJECTIVE:
Create more elementary school seats and lessen overcrowding and further loss of
cluster rooms at PS 11.

SOLUTIONS:
1. Temporarily relocate either one or two of PS 11’s incoming K G&T classes* to the
underutilized PS 33. Bonus: PS 33 wants more G&T students.

2. Send more K gen ed students* next year to PS 33 thus lowering the number of all
incoming K students at PS 11. Send any new incoming upper grade students to PS 33.

3. Test upper grade students at PS 11 for possible G&T placement, lessening the
disparity in class size between gen ed, CTT and G&T.

4. Temporarily apply an admissions threshold. The Chancellor’s Regulations clearly

state: “Zoned students are entitled to attend their zoned elementary and middle schools
subject to available seats.” If seats aren’t available, send the children to another
nearby school. Shifting elementary students to another elementary school should be…
elementary! Why make a costly and complex move of two much larger schools
when shifting a smaller group of students is possible?

5. Have a professional space planner evaluate the PS 11/Clinton building.

6. Determine if some outdoor roof sports/play areas could be winterized which would
free up one or two of the small interior gym spaces to be used for classrooms.

7. Explore whether the Ryan Center counseling or other rooms could be consolidated
elsewhere.

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OVERALL OBJECTIVE:
Find a new home for Clinton that would permanently alleviate overcrowding in both
schools and allow for growth.

SOLUTION:
Purchase 10 East 15th Street. Determine what type of renovation or rebuilding is
necessary. Create a construction timeline and evaluate whether it is feasible for Clinton
to remain with PS 11 for that amount of time.

CONCLUSION:
We don’t wish to be in the position of making suggestions to PS 11 as to how best to
operate their school. But when one school’s unwavering demands are superseding the
rights of others, we must step up and defend our own children’s rights to be in an
appropriate setting with enough time to plan for such a move.

We believe PS 11’s thoughtful principal, Bob Bender, has probably been working on a
“Plan B” incorporating some of the above ideas. But his parent body has gotten the ear
of the DOE to move Clinton by fall 2010, come hell or high water, regardless of the
damage it will cost our school and especially PS 138. If one steps back, it becomes
clear that there are easier and smarter solutions.

We hope that some sensible people in City Hall will step in to reevaluate this plan and
ask that DOE create a new and better one for all parties concerned, not only for PS 11.

Respectfully,

Susan Kramer, Tamara Rowe, and Darren Taffinder

The Clinton School for Writers & Artists
Relocation Committee

zazasmom@aol.com
trowe2@gmail.com
darren@taffinder.co.uk.

* unless they have siblings at PS 11