Plenty of Discord Over John Jay Expansion Plan
Yesterday the Brooklyn Paper wrote about the proposed expansion of Park Slope’s John Jay High School to include Manhattan’s Millennium School. And last night John Jay students protested the expansion prior to a public hearing with the Department of Ed. The school, which the Brooklyn Paper notes is mainly comprised of minority students outside of…
Yesterday the Brooklyn Paper wrote about the proposed expansion of Park Slope’s John Jay High School to include Manhattan’s Millennium School. And last night John Jay students protested the expansion prior to a public hearing with the Department of Ed. The school, which the Brooklyn Paper notes is mainly comprised of minority students outside of the neighborhood, asked for more resources and funding for the three schools already at John Jay, instead of supporting a new, fourth school (which is a largely white college prep school). Before the public hearing began students were chanting, “How do you spell racist? DOE” and “Integrate don’t segregate.” Parents, faculty, and Assemblyman Jim Brennan stressed the need for more resources, with the idea that improving the existing schools will increase enrollment from within the neighborhood. Student speakers were more blunt. One student called the school’s metal detectors, which John Jay has previously asked the DOE to remove, “a racist ritual” that discourages any Park Slope kid from attending John Jay. Another student thought the consistent lack of funding was a message that “Our school isn’t good enough for Park Slope residents,” while another said, “While Park Slope may enjoy the representation of a desirable place to live and work, that representation has never been expanded to our school.” The policy vote on whether Millennium Brooklyn will move in is scheduled for Wednesday, January 19th.
FSRQ, fair enough:) I agree with you re: location being less relevant than the school’s failure — although, of course, when the location is in a gentrifying neighborhood with overcrowded gentrified schools, it has to also be a factor.
Oy. I have no idea.
Still plenty of time to turn Atlantic Yards into a school/park/public recreation complex.
I AM yelling – but I am not yelling about the essentially IRRELEVANT physical location of this selective H.S. but rather yelling about the general failure of these 3 schools.
and I did read the NYT article about Law Schools which are a total racket (and ignored the most obvious criminality of it – giving the bar after 3 years rather than after the 1st yr like Medical Schools – which could save many people a fortune of wasted education $)
But no matter, I am willing to bet that on a lifetime basis you are FAR better off going to Law School and being in debt unable to get a law job than being a H.S. dropout, even if only because your education level will undoubtedly positively effect your child’s future academic preparation and ability by being raised in a house with high academic achievement, vocabulary etc….
(not that Law Schools shouldnt be indicted)
I was at that meeting, and I came away from it feeling disturbed. I feel for the kids who are at the existing schools – most of them, and certainly the ones attending the meeting – care about and deserve a great education. But there are three different schools, plus a suspension school, in that building, and the unfortunate truth is that a percentage of the overall student population does cause an outsize share of trouble in the school and the surrounding community, and unfortunately, the actions of those few affect everyone. I live right down the street from the JJ complex, and the fights, vandalism and other occurrences I have seen with my own eyes go beyond what I would want to expose my own kid to, if I had the choice. Many parents and kids don’t have that choice, and for this reason I feel that Millennium presents an opportunity for the kids already at these schools who are working towards their future.
The best chance for the currents schools’ physical plant to get upgraded, and to attract neighboring kids to the school of Research (the most promising of the 3), is to bring in Millennium, finally get that suspension school out of there, institute tougher disciplinary codes along w/ removing the metal detectors, and improve community outreach efforts in the school. I got the distinct impression from the meeting that the students regard the Park Slope community with a fair amount of hostility, and already bear a huge amount of resentment towards the future Millennium students. That is a terrible way to initiate this discussion, and will serve no one well no matter what happens. If Millennium does end up being housed somewhere else, do the JJ complex protesters think they will get rewarded with so much as a bucket of paint for their school?
I know similar arguments have been made in Prospect Heights about new schools vs. funding inequity, and I have to agree with one thing: In a system without nearly enough challenging, top-ranked schools to go around, it is insanity to argue against the creation of a school as promising as this one, in a borough that sorely needs it.
“But me, honestly, I think it’s mostly about money. Money and time.”
Data is showing otherwise in regards to money.
Also, schools are allocated the same $ per pupil. The issue becomes how the schools allocate the money individually. Some states have even gone as far as giving struggling schools more $ per pupil because they have to deal with additional problems like security, learning disabled, providing FREE after school assistance to help students catch up. Schools that don’t have to meet all those needs are free to purchase computers, invest in enrichment programs, etc.
Also, the most successful charter schools spend north of $20K per pupil to get students from disadvantaged backgrounds on track.
Related, but not really:
This is a really great story on NPR about language and learning. The gist of the story is that by the time SOME kids reach school age it’s extremely difficult for them to reach their full potential if the right foundation isn’t in place, and in this case it’s language (what all learning is based on).
http://www.npr.org/2011/01/10/132740565/closing-the-achievement-gap-with-baby-talk
When all is said and done, schools can only do so much. If a child leaves school everyday and goes to an unsupportive, crappy, AND impoverished environment, their chances of doing well in school aren’t all that great.
Yeah, but you’re using rhetoric that doesn’t really distinguish you from being another yelling mass. Does it suck to not graduate from high school? Yes. Then again, it could be worse. Just think if they’d all gone to law school and taken out $200K worth of loans and then not gotten jobs! (a la New York Times article this week.)
I know someone who works on a pretty high level with New York’s GED program. You have given me some questions to ask them.
You may not like the term “loser” but I didnt say or mean it as a character judgment but a description of what your future prospects are and a judgement of the academic result that a H.S. dropout represents (i.e. total failure)
The harsh and uncomfortable language isnt used to be an asshole but to emphasize the absolute tragic consequence that these statistics (69% graduation rate) represent. Because seemingly unlike the yelling masses at last nights meeting, I recognize the outrage that millions of doomed students is – regardless of the physical proximity of other more successful students may be
“It isnt fear of being a racial minority, it is the ACCURATE fear of sending my kids to a school of LOSERS. Yes lifes losers…if you cant even graduate H.S. you are a complete and utter failure. Your parents are failures, your teachers are failures – everything about you and surrounding you = FAILURE. ”
No, no. It’s totally fine to say things like this! After all, as you’ve proven, these kids are all LOSERS! Just like their parents!! And you’ve proven that by… saying that it is so. With almost completely correct syntax.
That’s what drew me into this discussion — I don’t like it when people are blatant assholes because they can be. It’s my own issue, probably. Totally.
Prove that all the schools will be funded equally, if you are so sure they will be.
It seems to be the easy answer these days, saying, “oh, money isn’t the problem, it’s really the teachers!” (Or the families, or the students, etc.) Truth is, as far as I can tell from my own experience — and for that matter my parent’s experiences, going to public school in poor and rich neighborhoods themselves — these issues have always been there. And there have always been a legion of reformers with ideas on how to correct them.
But me, honestly, I think it’s mostly about money. Money and time.
Jim Brennan is an Assemblyman, and a terrific one at that