Scaffolding Down, Art Up at PS 107
A reader sent in this picture of the newly renovated PS 107 on 8th Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets. The facade was spruced up, and our tipster thinks new windows have been installed. They also add, “The pipes that run vertically up the eastern side of the building have some public art on them….
A reader sent in this picture of the newly renovated PS 107 on 8th Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets. The facade was spruced up, and our tipster thinks new windows have been installed. They also add, “The pipes that run vertically up the eastern side of the building have some public art on them. On one set of pipes, there is a large sculpture of a spider. On the other, a caterpillar.” Click through to see the oversized crawlers. GMAP
Why would one assume that extra-curricular art projects come out of tax dollars in the first place, and second, why would one take the position that they are a waste of resources? This has been proved wrong over and over. Activities that involve student participation draw students in to their school community and enhance the learning process at every level.
The fact that there are schools where standards and/ or parent participation are lower is not a good thing and does not create a standard that other schools have an obligation to adhere to. Quite the opposite: some schools excel over time because the principal, the teachers, the parents and the students care and work toward a better learning experience.
So, the comments as to how projects of unquantifiable academic value are wasteful are shortsighted at best.
Also, the last time I looked property taxes did not go toward schools in nyc; they were paid for by the nyc income tax.
Jessibaby, you contradict yourself in your posts. Up until 3 p.m. your point was that the City focuses school spending on the wealthy only. What changed at 4 that your next post said that “the spoils” (oh, those spoils) go to the rich and the poor.
I’m sure I’ll regret asking this but what is that statement even based on?
“I am not aware that the schools in poor neighborhoods are somehow in worse shape than in wealthier ones. Is that really the case?” — yes. There are exceptions, but in general, yes.
It’s really more about organization and commitment than it is about rich vs. poor. Politicians love to shower PTAs with money anytime they can – but you need to ask, and to know who to ask and what you want, and that simply doesn’t happen as much in many of the poorer neighborhoods. I was involved with a school improvement project that got done not through money or connections but simply because we pestered the Schools Construction Authority constantly, organized letter writing drives, etc.
Brenda — the reason for all the scaffolding a few years back was a major reconstruction of the library on the top floor. They just finished replacing the windows.
Work on a facade, and new windows, doesn’t tell you much about the condition of the interior of the school. I imagine most facade work is because of seriously deteriorating brickwork that could end up being dangerous if not fixed. Is the DOE really allowing schools in poor neighborhoods to exist with deteriorating facades? I doubt this decision had anything to do with politics. Also, seems like many schools are getting new windows which I assume is to help lower heating and cooling costs in the long run.
Don’t know what the inside condition of this school is, but I am not aware that the schools in poor neighborhoods are somehow in worse shape than in wealthier ones. Is that really the case?
South Sloper – the richest and the poorest get the spoils – this is not new and not a conspiracy theory. And what does a LEED certification have to do with any of this?
I’d like to know why this school has had massive scaffolding on and then off and then on again over the past few years! This is at least the second, if not 3rd, time we’ve seen the “bandages come off”–what all have they been doing? Keeping the school construction folks in full employment? However, it does look beautiful, as fresh as day it was built. (And yes, the spider is not new.)
How do the people making knee-jerk comments explain projects like ground-up construction of new elementary schools in Cypress Hills and Jamaica, as well as new Early Childhood Centers in Sunset Park and (a LEED-certified project) the South Bronx? I have no affection for DiBlasio, but did he hook up all those neighborhoods too?
Leave conspiracy-theorizing to the tabloids and do just a little research before posting these boring rants. Actual facts are a lot more interesting.
11217 – the City isn’t nearly as incentivized to keep the Brownville folks living here. If there were no good public schools, rich parents would move – and if you don’t live in NYC you don’t pay NYC taxes. That’s a lot of lost revenue so it makes sense to keep the parents happy and staying put.
Jessi,
The PTA’s are the ones’ who get the city’s attention in the first place.
If a school in Brownsville had a wildly active PTA, they’d come up with ideas to get the funding they desired.
The PTA at PS. 321 are the folks who came up with the idea to start the Park Slope Flea at their school (this bring in dollars). It certainly wasn’t the city’s idea.