The Shifting School Equation

I think this applies to brooklynites who bought in zones with crappy schools and assumed a) they’d be rich enough when the time rolled around to send their kids to private, or b) they’d be savvy enough to work the system and get their kids into a charter or G&T (altho the G&T options in brooklyn are sub-par). Then it turned out, they weren’t rich enough and a lot of families who were savvy enough to work the system moved into these zones so it was all harder said than done.

I never assumed I would ever be able to pay 25k per year or work the system so I stuck to the better zones.

And Rob, you diminish the sacrifice made by parents who work their tail off to make a failing school better. Their work almost always benefits the kids that come after their own. Building a PTO that can attract enough families and raise enough money for aides and enrichment programs is a process that can take years and years. The “first generation” of the kids of the pioneering parents see little of that (in the school, at home I’m sure they see a lot of it!).

Half the kids in PS 321 don’t live in the zoned neighborhood. Sure, they started out there, but if you move out of the zone, you can continue to attend your current school. And they grandfather siblings, at least they did two years ago…

Of course there are many other parents who outright lie about their address. Consequently the school is drastically overcrowded.

It’s great that PS 321 is a desirable school. It wasn’t always, and it wasn’t the wealthy who made it that way, either. They’ve just hopped on board once the way was paved for them, forcing middle class families who can’t get their kids into an established school into other nabes, where they are planting the seeds for similar transitions in their local schools. Ditmas Park is an excellent example. 139 has turned around quite a bit, 217 has always been good, and is even better now.

Don’t know what the situation is in comparable neighborhoods, such as PLG, etc…

However, bear in mind – we’re only talking about elementary school, here. Wait ’till middle school rolls around, and the rug is pulled out from under your feet. Many zones with good primary schools are middle schools and high schools that don’t measure up. Unless your kids are super bright and get into some of the top gifted programs (and not all of these are as great as they sound, be prepared to move, stump up for private (if you can get in at that point) or compromise your children’s educations by sending them to an inadequate school.

HS is a slightly rosier picture, although some of the best high schools in the borough are nowhere near the desirable elementary schools.

I can’t speak for those who thought private school was going to be an option for their kids. Seems to me that the people in the article are in a far different economic class than those who I know. (But then again most of the houses discussed on this site are out of the reach of my cohort) My son’s mother and I were keen on public school from the get go. We tried a school in Fort Greene (PS 20), and were displeased with the principal. The next year most of the people we knew also moved their kids out. None of them moved their kids to private schools. We did what many parents do – get a waiver to send our kids to other public schools. Many, many parents we know send their kids to PS 261, which is splendidly diverse and has a principal we like. Others moved over to PS 10 in Clinton Hill, which is much less diverse (overwhelmingly African American), but has the advantage of being a neighborhood school and one which seems to be moving in the right direction in terms of programming. I guess we were lucky in that everyone was able to find a school which they were okay about. Some lied, but most just begged, cajoled, etc. Come on, we are New Yorkers!

Dave, it is not. I have two friends that teach there. That school, according to them, is the epitome of terrible – not enough supplies, uncaring staff, etc.