P.S. 10 May Have to Cut Pre-K Because of School Rezoning

Pic by Anthony Delmundo, from the New York Daily News

It's been just another normal, controversial weekend in Park Slope!

In case you been living under the Gowanus Canal, allow me to fill you in. On November 28, the Department of Ed passed all that rezoning biznatch in our hood, which basically means that parents who paid a shit ton of money in certain areas of Park Slope JUST so their kids could go to a particular school are screwed because now their kids have to go elsewhere. Some people are thrilled about the decision and yes, some people are livid.

It all started when the Department of Ed proposed to shrink down P.S. 321 and P.S. 107s' zones because there was some serious overcrowding issues in those two buildings. How serious, you ask? According to the Daily News, P.S. 321, with 1,402 students, was operating at a building utilization rate of 128%, and P.S. 107 with 555 students was operating with 158% utilization rate. So you do the math. 

And now that the shit has hit the fan, we're finally starting to see where it's landed back on the ground. Case-in-point: P.S. 10 on 7th Ave may have to cut it's Pre-K program to take on all those the new kids that are being sent its way because of said overcrowding. The solution includes reducing P.S. 321's zone to only include children from Prospect Park West to Fifth Ave. The reminder of 321's zone will be ferried off to a new K-5 school carved out of the St. Thomas Aquinas school on 4th ave. As for P.S. 107, they get to shake off two honking parts of their zone, the first being 15th Street to Windsor Place between Eighth Ave and Prospect Park West, and the second being 14th to 11th streets between 6th and 7th Avenues. Those little rugrats will now go to P.S. 10, which means there may be no room for the 4 year-old program. 

P.S. 10's principal, Laura Scott, who looks like someone you don't want to mess with according to the above photo, told the News that she isn't happy about the idea:

“I’m really feeling very depressed right now. I have to figure out what we’re going to do. Every child is entitled to a seat in school, and I can understand how the principals at PS 321 and PS 107 are feeling, but it shouldn’t be at the sake of another school.”

Scott adds that with the influx of new students, art and music rooms may have to be sacrificed to serve as classrooms. Depart of Ed and City Officials are claiming that it won't be all that bad. Community Education Council District 15 President Jim Devor told the News, "It’s bad but it’s not a catastrophe. Worst comes to worst they lose a pre-k section and it’s not even clear that that is going to happen."

P.S. 107 Principal, Eve Litwack, said Scott shouldn't cry on her should pads, cause she's been there: “I do have sympathy for P.S. 10 and now they’re starting to feel a little of the pain that P.S. 321 and P.S. 107 have been feeling for years.” 

So what does the general FIPS'ter public think? Anyone directly affected by this move? As Dolores O'Riordan once asked us all those years ago, "Does anyone care?" Sound off.