Life During Recession Time: Schools
What will be the impact of the economic turmoil on Brooklyn schools? Will private schools like Packer, Berkeley Carroll, Friends, Saint Ann’s and Poly Prep see high rates of attrition? (We heard that close to 50 families have given notice to Trinity in Manhattan that their kids won’t be back next year.) It’s no secret…
What will be the impact of the economic turmoil on Brooklyn schools? Will private schools like Packer, Berkeley Carroll, Friends, Saint Ann’s and Poly Prep see high rates of attrition? (We heard that close to 50 families have given notice to Trinity in Manhattan that their kids won’t be back next year.) It’s no secret that many of the thirty-something parents sending their single-digit-aged children to these schools get assistance from their sixty- and seventy-something parents; the thirty-somethings may be losing their jobs (or just making less money) while the grandparents all of a sudden are facing the prospects of their retirement on half the savings they thought they had. In this scenario, will private schools be forced to cut tuitions or will only the truly rich be able to attend? And if many private schoolers shift to a public school system that’s simultaneously undergoing large cuts, what does that mean for class sizes and education quality? On the other hand, could the injection of some private school refugees be good news for some public schools? What do you think?
Wine lover…we all know how you NEVER say a bad word about anything Williamsburg related and are still delusional enough to continue saying that “there are tons of new families coming in” which gives little credence to your bias.
You REALLY think tons of new families are moving in right now?? That’s laughable.
I believe there will not be a mass exodus, but I certainly would never be so insane as to suggest that “TONS” of people are moving to Park Slope right now.
BTW, the grading system you speak of has to do with school improvement, the rating is not on the school itself. You seem very misinformed on a number of levels. A school can receive an “A” grade because its year over year improvement was above average, but the school could still be quite below average.
wine lover, I didn’t accuse you of being racist.
My daughter was in one of those schools you mention, I used to live on N7. And I’m afraid that while schools often put on a good show when you express interest, the day-to-day performance often doesn’t match up, becuase the day to day isn’t just decided by how good the principal is. Anyway, I hope for everyone’s sake they get better, and I’d agree that more people sending their kids there, and participating and believing in them is a good thing. However, if you’re starting now, get to 11222. You’ll get more square foot for your money anyway 😉
Some people do prefer to leave the city, Ms. Muffet, but if you look at the history of New York City’s population, you will notice that it continues to rise each and every year.
We’ll lose some overindulgent white upper middle class people who want 4000 sf to raise one child so they have room for their Hummer and Mercedes SUV, and gain a hard working immigrant family with 3 kids, struggling, but probably more likely to buy a home in Brooklyn or Queens and enroll their kids in public school anyway.
poly prep’s headmaster recently sent an email to parents assuring them that applications are “on target” and the school’s finances are solid. . . . fwiw
11217 – Easy – sell your house in NYC (at a 20% loss to last years high)- buy a bigger, more luxurious house in the suburbs that was always less than NYC and now down around 35-40%. Pay more in property tax, less in income tax and pocket the 100s of thousands of capital gains on the move.
Not saying its going to be a trend, BUT – historically upper middle class people who could not afford private school and who felt that they did not have a viable public school option did MOVE and it is certainly a likely scenario for some.
11217 – you have your perspective, and as someone how is committed to staying in NYC through thick and think, I share your NYC bias. But you must understand that not everyone feels the same way. Believe it or not, some people prefer to leave the city – practically my entire mom’s group did so after having their 2nd child. There are many reasons which I don’t have time to go into now. Maybe it’s not true of the people *you* know, but the fact is, many people can and do leave NYC and many of them, as shocking as it may sound to you, are very happy doing so.
dittoburg – well. with all due respect, you are wrong about 11211. PS 17, 132 and 84 are very good. 17 has 5 stars math according to insideschools.org. the DOE rates 17 higher than 321! how much better do you want? yes 31 and 34 are considered the best elementary schools in brooklyn, but 11222 is going to be full, they are not going to accepting everyone from out of zone – and no way can they accommodate the thousands that are moving into 11211 or are already here and now have kids entering the system. 4 kids from my building are going to 17 next year. take tours of these schools first before you dismiss them. i have. the principal at 84 really impressed me. i am not a racist, and don’t think that just because hispanic kids are in the class that the academics can’t be excellent.
So Miss Muffet…can you tell me how it’s cost effective for a family to leave the city and instead of paying 20,000 a year for private school, you are paying that or higher each year in taxes in such places like New Jersey.
So not only would you be paying that for the years your kids are in school, but for the years after when they aren’t.
I also REALLY don’t think too many people are looking to sell their homes anytime soon unless they HAVE to. To suggest that more than a handful of people want to take a loss on their home to move to Jersey to pay 10 times the taxes and live in a bankrupt state is a little short sighted if you ask me.
Of course some will choose to leave, but I really don’t think it will be that popular. I’d actually think the opposite…I would think that some families which moved to the burbs (and now hate it) might be looking to get back INTO the city if prices drop significantly.
I know very few people who have left the city and didn’t regret it later.
I agree with Miss Muffett – increased taxes at state and city level – which are all but an inevitability, plus reduced services, are going to push people out of the city. that being said, I don’t think schools that have already hit a tipping point into being good are going to get worse – even if they have less bells and whistles (i.e., arts etc)- because a school’s reputation feeds on itself and once it’s established as good or decent, people will continue to send their children there.