Jan. 7, 2013 By Christian Murray
Elected officials held a press conference on Friday to announce further details on the construction of a school annex at PS 11 in Woodside.
The new addition, which was announced in November, will serve more than 340 Sunnyside and Woodside students. It will help combat PS 11’s overcrowding problem, as well as overcrowding in the greater district.
PS 11, located at 54-25 Skillman Ave. is at about 120% capacity, and has as many as 10 beaten-up portables that litter the school grounds. Many are more than a decade old and are hazardous to teachers and children alike.
Anna Efkarpides, PS 11’s school principal, said that ceiling tiles have fallen on children in the past. Meanwhile, one staff member has fallen through the trailer floor.
The trailers are used by about 220 kindergarten and first grade students.
“Our children should never be forced to learn in trailers that are falling apart,” said Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer. “They deserve the newest and the best school facilities.”
The annex will be built in an enclosed area behind the main school where the trailers are located. Construction is expected to be completed in 2016.
The limited space and steep incline is expected to make construction difficult. In fact, engineers for the School Construction Authority had given the project the thumbs down in the past due to the problematic site. However, the SCA has assured the public that it will be done.
The SCA has also announced that it is constructing a school at PS 339 at 39th Avenue and 57th Street (which is about three of blocks away) that will cater to 470 students. It is scheduled to open September 2015. The new school will be a 5 story building, with a cafeteria and gym on the first floor.
Both the annex and the new school are needed to alleviate the overcrowding problem at the 1,350 student school, Van Bramer said.
Furthermore, neighboring schools are bursting at the seams. PS150 is at 110% overcapacity and PS 152 at 120%.
Construction of a Sunnyside elementary school at 45-46 42nd Street (Queens Blvd. and 47th Ave.) is about to begin. That school, PS 313, will be 5 stories high, and is expected to open in September 2014.
Press Conference at PS 11
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10 Comments
Thanks – took a look.
Yikes, ok, private schools have a point, tuition indeed could be worth it (especially at the middle school level).
But on the plus side, NYC does have some fantastic public high schools. That’s encouraging!
In reply to SM, you can research any public school you’re interested in on either the Dept of Ed’s website (schools.nyc.gov) or on a site called Insideschools.org. Lots of statistics and other info. available. You can also call the parent coordinator at most public schools and set-up a tour of the school.
In Sunnyside, the south side of Queens Blvd is District 24 and the north is D30. D24 currently has one charter school, but it’s a 5-8th grade school in Elmhurst (on Junction Blvd.) and, I believe, gives first priority to students who live in D24. There is a new charter middle school opening in the Christ the King building in Middle Village next year (if all the approvals have gone through), and again, will probably give first priority to in-district students.
M…my comments make the MOST sense , just not to ignorant folk like yourself trying to be politically correct in every word.
People need to stop having so many kids . Most families can’t handle nor afford all the kids so where does the extra help come from? Resources that can be used to help families that are trying to be more responsible. Our children would be better off if the classes were 10-15 kids instead of stuffing our poor teachers with 30 kids!. So yeah…my comment is nonsense? Learn to control yourselves you animals.
Along with publishing the numbers of schools districted here – can we have a post that gives an empirical analysis/numbers so that parents in the area can decide whether to send their child to the public schools here or go into Manhattan for the private ones there (otherwise stated, is the education *that* bad in our district that 35K a year tuition for first grade is worth it)?
What percentage of Sunnyside/Woodside kids end up at the top public high schools that require testing for admission (e.g. Stuy or Brooklyn Tech)?
Whether a kid learns in a trailer or a brick building – I don’t care. Kids all over the world learn in much worse conditions, but still LEARN. I am looking for education – not a building’s facade.
I want to know what is the quality? How many kids go on to become college graduates? The zone for North of Queens Blvd. includes charter schools, does the zone South of the Blvd.? If not, why not?
How come the moderator goes ahead and approves comments TheRealRuben makes? It’s all a bunch of nonsense.
TheRealRubin will never have kids! Thank God.
WOW good news …
…Always a good school and will continue to be so ……………..
Good work Jimmy Van Brammer …………….
It’s all the foreigners that have 3 to 5 kids in their house. Stop having so many damn kids!
This is why we vote for brammer for his job… beccause he does his job for the public…..!!!!!
And our teachers deserve students- with a semblance of responsible parenting- who come prepared to class.