MELISSA MARK-VIVERITO COMMITTEES

COUNCIL MEMBER, 8TH DISTRICT

DISTRICT OFFICE PARKS & RECREATION, CHAIR
105 EAST 116TH STREET AGING
NEW YORK, NY 10029
(212) 828-9800 CIVIL SERVICE & LABOR
FAX: (212) 722-6378
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
CITY HALL OFFICE
250 BROADWAY, ROOM 1882 THE COUNCIL CONTRACTS
NEW YORK, NY 10007
(212) 788-6960 OF HOUSING & BUILDINGS
FAX: (212) 442-1564 PUBLIC HOUSING
THE CITY OF NEW YORK
mviverito@council.nyc.gov YOUTH SERVICES

January 24, 2011

Chancellor Cathie Black

New York City Department of Education
Office of the Chancellor
52 Chambers Street
New York, NY 10007

Dear Chancellor Black:

I am writing to express my continuing concerns with the co-location of new schools in

buildings or school districts that are deemed overcrowded. According to a major study by the
Center for Public Education "The ideal student to teacher radio in K-3rd grade is between 15
and 18 students to 1 teacher.” These numbers must be even lower for special needs students,
which make up a significant proportion of the public school students in my district. By placing
new schools in our existing buildings, whether charter or public, without first addressing the
issues of overcrowding in a school community, we risk endangering the ability of all students in
that school building to learn at their maximum potential. I have heard in detail a great deal of
feedback from principals in my district as to the impact of co-locating new schools. In these
arrangements, space, schedules, resources and support all become points of disagreement and
chip away at the morale of the students, parents, staff and school leaders.

As the Council Member representing School Districts 3 and 4 in Manhattan and School District
7 in the Bronx, I represent three diverse school populations, each bringing their own particular
concerns with new school placements. In District 3, our schools are simply far too over-
crowded. Not only do they lack space to grow successfully, but most special programs have
significant waiting lists. There has been a notable increase in residential construction which will
bring in more students, some of which may have needs that we are unable to identify until we
have done a true analysis of this new population. I consider the siting of new schools in existing
spaces within an already overcrowded district to be irresponsible, especially without a
comprehensive picture of the present and future needs of these areas.

In District 4, we face immense challenges as well. This year’s annual test scores show that we
have a number of failing schools. Many of our school buildings have been deemed
underutilized by the Department of Education, leaving the impression that new schools can be
inserted into those buildings. This year, two of our public schools will be faced with some level
of corrective action and will possibly be phased out, and next year we will surely see even more
schools on that list if our district continues to lack the necessary support and resources to
reverse this trend. Oftentimes, co-locating a new school with a failing school drains important
resources such as adequate space for recreational and extracurricular activities, and enrollment
numbers tend to drop. Without a comprehensive plan on how to better support our existing
schools, the number of failing schools in our district may continue to rise.

In District 7 in the Bronx we recently faced the proposed siting of a Success Academy in an
existing school building in my District. Under the proposal, the existing school would have had
to leave the building where it had made its home and start over in a new space. It was only
after Council Member Maria del Carmen Arroyo and I sat with DOE officials, at our request, to
talk about the implications of this proposal, the DOE determined that the existing school could
remain in the space and that the Success Academy would look elsewhere. This speaks to the
importance of proactively engaging in collaborative discussions with community leaders,
parents and elected officials before critical decisions like these are made.

In writing this letter, I do not intend to say that no new schools should ever be created or placed
in existing buildings. However, I feel strongly that having a long term plan in place, engaging in
extensive community dialogue and developing a comprehensive community impact statement
are critical steps that would better prepare school communities to handle the changes facing
their buildings and can make all of our schools successful. Unfortunately, I do not see these
steps being adequately implemented by the Department in any of the school openings or
co-locations in my district. I ask that efforts to look comprehensively at co-locations, as a
policy matter, be given priority consideration based on the vigorous debate and concerns not
only in my community, but throughout the city.

Sincerely,

Melissa Mark-Viverito
Council Member—District 8

cc: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg