Judy Zangwill and Jimmy Van Bramer
May 14, 2012 By Christian Murray
More than 300 parents and children held a protest at P.S. 150 on Wednesday to denounce Mayor Bloomberg’s budget cuts that would slash funds for its after-school program.
The after-school program at P.S. 150, located at 40-01 43 Ave., is one of 233 across New York City in jeopardy unless the New York City Council is able to restore its funds. The funds provide parents with free after-school services for their children.
While the council has been able to restore P.S. 150’s after-school funding before, this year the task is expected to be much tougher.
Two years ago when P.S. 150’s after-school budget faced the chopping block there were 33 programs that were in jeopardy. All were saved through city council restorations. Last year, there were 33 programs that were going to be defunded, with about half of them saved.
At P.S. 150 on Wednesday, children held signs that read: “Save P.S.150 after-school.” At stake is $259,000 in funds.
Jimmy Van Bramer, who many credited with saving PS150’s program in the past two years, pledged that he would fight to protect it yet again. “The mayor has imposed a very severe budget cut,” Van Bramer said. “It is wrong and foolish to cut after-school programs for kids … it is wrong and bad for neighborhoods.”
This year Van Bramer’s task is far tougher. When he was able to save PS 150’s program over the past two years, it was the only program in his district that faced defunding. This year he has 6 out of 8 programs that are in jeopardy.
The loss of the P.S.150 program would have major ramifications for parents in this neighborhood. According to Judy Zangwill, the executive director of Sunnyside Community Services, the program serves 197 students, with an additional 60 on a wait list.
The loss of the funding would have severe implications for many low-income parents, who would struggle to pay for babysitting or other alternatives. According to school records, 66 percent of the school’s attendees are eligible for free lunch, with 26 percent of the students from backgrounds where English is not their first language.
Backup plans are being proposed by the Sunnyside Community Services, which runs the program, if funding is cut. Zangwill said that Sunnyside Community Services is in the process of working out a fee-for-service type program, where parents would be required to pay, say, $250 to $300 per month for an 8.5-month period.
However, the program would be small—perhaps 60 children– and it would probably offer less in the way of services. It would run from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. like the current program.
Zangwill said she hopes that it doesn’t come down to this. “Many people clearly can’t afford it and we don’t want a parent to give up a job because they need to look after their children. It just doesn’t make any sense,” she said.
“In the past two years, I told the parents at P.S. 150 that I would fight for the program and I was able to restore it,” said Van Bramer. “This year I will be fighting just as hard.”
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where to look in support of the design yourself different stair railings in your apartment
If the city wants to save money, how about laying off some administrative staff and reducing their many perks and leave the kids alone? Let City Hall tighten its belt and take their bloated faces out of the public trough for a bit.
I’d like to know more about this after-school program. I’d rather see money spent on academic pursuits- having school end at 3 pm is such an old-fashioned concept. How are the test scores for PS 150? Maybe some remedial reading, writing, and arithmetic classes are what we really need.
And I too would like to see less dog crap on the sidewalks.
Lets get the lazy dog owners to pick up after their mutts! I am sick of Sunnyside Gardens being used as the “de-facto” dog run for those who live outside the area.
WHY CAN’T PEOPLE LET THIER DOGS SHIT IN FRONT OF THEIR OWN RESIDENCES???
I am sick of looking at dog shit, smelling dog shit, avoiding dog shit and cleaning dog shit from in front of my home!
PICK UP AFTER YOUR POOCHES!
@oppressed Masses
Why is it when something comes up – crime, need for additional lines at the precinct, and now school funds ..people want the dog run cut out?
So many people worked for that dog run provision
it is part of the budgeted expenditure for the park.
The park has to be cleaned up.
Another situation where the question must be asked: which has a priority in terms of use of public money, a park for dogs or after school programs for kids? While Councilmember Van Bramer has denied that the entire $1.4 dollars to fund the renovation of Lodati Park will be spent on the “state of the art” dog run, the cost of the dog run portion of the park renovation has never been disclosed. Perhaps the dog run can do with one “playground” for dogs instead of the two shown in the plans and that money used to help fund continuation of the after school program at PS 150. I certainly think the Sunnyside community’s first priority should be its children.
Bloomberg is a bastard! He and Joel Klein have done everything they can to ruin the public schools. Run the poor out of town so his rich developer buddies can take over your valuable real estate.
I keep hearing what a rich neighborhood we are! I guess it is not true. Tell Bloomberg they will teach the dangers of transfat after school, then he will find the funding.
Life Under Bloomberg continues. He tells the bankers he feels sorry for them while he tries to make the rest of us starve. He will rot in hell.
After school is nothing but glorified babysitting for distracted kids subsidized with tax payer dollars.
Heck at 8, you should be able to walk yourself home, warm up dinner, do some homework, watched some Tv, shut the hell up until the parents came home.
Rider haggard- Water! Water!, lee harper, orwell,twain, charles dickens,herman melville , and chess at 9 was a joy and privilege .
Give me a break eh..