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
“our taxes go to crap like this while schools in poor neighborhoods barely have decent updated textbooks and after school programs? f*ck that.”
“so basically kids with rich parents deserve better than kids with poor parents. :-/ personally i think it should be the other way around, but whatever.”
These arguments were made in the 60s and early 70s. They resulted in suburban flight and urban decline that take decades to reverse. (Consider the theme of this blog – preserving things that get thrown away when the city falls apart.)
107 is one of the very best public primary schools in the city. The student body is no more affluent than in the North Slope, which has a marginal primary school (in fact PS107 has a fair level of diversity). The reason 107 is good is because parental involvement is very high. It’s a model for what an urban school can be.
Plus, the building is architecturally outstanding; renovation can be justified on that basis alone, i.e. http://www.nyc-architecture.com/PS/PS051.htm
Don’t mean to be preachy, and these were probably impulse comments. But this is a public primary school we’re talking about, plus a great building. So it’s hard to see why this isn’t just good news.
PS 8 in Brooklyn Heights could do with a restoration like this. It looks like a grim orphanage right now. Maybe once they finish the new wing they will work on the historic building.
I love the giant caterpillars and spiders. What a great idea.
I think it looks really nice!
Parental involvement is definitely the key – in all areas. I’ve seen it in action at PS 8, in Brooklyn Heights. When I first moved there in 1981, PS 8 was mediocre at best, because all the BH kids went to private schools (St. Ann’s, Brooklyn Friends, Packer Collegiate, etc.) and only poor kids, whose parents didn’t have time for PTAs, etc., as they were too busy trying to earn a living or just didn’t have that cultural experience, went there. Then, as RE became more expensive, richer local people started getting involved here, and voila the transformation.
im not denying the fact that there is high parental involvement in park slope, that’s pretty obvious.. so yeah i guess i see your point.
*rob*
Rob, it is too bad that many schools in lower income neighborhoods are underfunded and ignored, but that’s a result of a number of different things, including our political process, earmarks, “member items” and various BS like that. Park Slope’s former city council member Bill DeBlasio was the chairman of the council’s education committee, and that certainly didn’t hurt the neighborhood’s public schools. But the other, and at times even more important factor, in trying to get adequate funding for a school is parent involvement and financial support. At a school like PS107 or 321, a fundraising auction could net the PTA $50,000 or more. People in those areas can and do bid hundreds of dollars to have a teacher take their kid on a dog walk. Good luck raising that kind of dough in less affluent neighborhoods (and actually, people who live in 107’s zoned district tend to pay very, very low tax tax rates thanks to the political pull – perceived or real – of the single family homeowner). When parents get involved, these projects – like replacing the windows – will get done – I’ve seen it happen. If they are not involved, they won’t, even in affluent areas, I’ve seen that happen too.
“so basically kids with rich parents deserve better than kids with poor parents. :-/ ”
Yes. Exactly my point. 😉
“jessi, no-one in NYC pays property taxes anything like outside of the city”
Yes, of course. My point was that someone in Park Slope probably pays more in property taxes than someone in ENY. (I know not true in all cases as brownstone owners are taxes less than condo dwellers)
so basically kids with rich parents deserve better than kids with poor parents. :-/
personally i think it should be the other way around, but whatever.
*rob*