Budget Cuts Threatening To Cramp P.S. 321's Style
The administration and PTA for P.S. 321 on 7th Avenue and 1st Street—widely considered one of the best and most progressive public elementary schools in Brooklyn, if not the entire city—are up in arms about the $125,000 in budget cuts the school is facing, and they’re calling on parents to march at the Department of…
The administration and PTA for P.S. 321 on 7th Avenue and 1st Street—widely considered one of the best and most progressive public elementary schools in Brooklyn, if not the entire city—are up in arms about the $125,000 in budget cuts the school is facing, and they’re calling on parents to march at the Department of Education offices tomorrow. (Principals all over the city have been slamming the slashed DOE budget.) P.S. 321’s principal sent a note home to parents saying the cuts mean the school won’t be able to buy new classroom furniture and certain school supplies (including new math books), and that there will be less money available for the professional development of teachers. On Monday, the PTA co-presidents sent home another letter (see copy on jump) about how the loss of funding will hurt the school; this communication asks parents to show up for the 4:00 p.m. rally in Lower Manhattan tomorrow to protest the cuts. (The rally is distinct from the meeting about the budget cuts that Councilman de Blasio is holding at Borough Hall tonight.) So how does all this circle back to real estate? This is no doubt overly simplistic, but is it possible for the budget cuts to make some would-be Slope buyers (who often move to the neighborhood because of schools like P.S. 321) reconsider, or think about shelling out for private school instead? Or do the strong voices of parents at P.S. 321 affirm the lure of the school and neighborhood? GMAP
My mother was a single uneducated woman from the south. See faced unspeakable poverty and racism. She died after seeing one child a two-time grammy winner and another a successful business owner with property in four different states. So what’s your point 2:23?
D-O-N-E-D-E-A-L!!!
My name is Ron Paul and I endorse this message.
“Cant have it both ways – if poverty and racism means that you are so bogged down as a single parent trying to make ends meet that you can’t educate your children – then clearly you don’t have time for bbq’s and drinking.”
How about not having kids until you actually take care of them.
The What LOVES barbecues. Prefers weed over drink.
12:10 – “It is a complete falacy that with hard work etc, one can improve one’s lot. If you start out poor, you will most likely, end up poor.”
You sound like a complete idiot who either has forgotten about your family roots in this country or you are so blinded by your privilaged lifestyle that the very thought of someone in your lineage starting out poor, working hard and making something of your family name is beyond your comprehension. I am so inspired watching the next generation coming out of 321. They will wipe your kind off this planet.
VOTE OBAMA FOR CHANGE!!!!!
The most expensive house sold in 2007…or one of them in Park Slope was the Berkeley Place 3.4 million dollar pad.
NOT inside the 321 district.
Lincoln Place house that was profiled yesterday and sold for 250k over ask at 3 million…also NOT in ps. 321.
I think times are a changin.
Ps. 321 is still great, but really not the real estate draw it used to be in terms of price premium.
No – its not parent involvement or support, its secret $$$$ being pumped in underground directly from City Hall that other schools aren’t getting. You know – the other schools where the parents do jack.
To all of those who made snarky comments about selling bugaboos to raise money, please be advised that P.S. 321 parents already raise hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for the school. It’s precisely due not only to parent involvement but direct parent investment that 321 has been able to maintain a quality program despite budget shortfalls and overcrowding.
And yes, P.S. 321 has long been a selling point for Park Slope real estate, with homes within the school’s zone typically selling for more than those outside the zone. However, as those prices have gotten increasingly out of reach for many families, people moving into nearby areas in other school zones have also spent time and money improving other schools, which benefits all concerned.
1.31 – I’m stunned.