Aug. 9, 2016 By Christian Murray
The waitlist for parents who want to send their children to Pre-K at P.S. 78 is likely over.
The Department of Education will be setting up a transportable structure that will house 2 classes of 18 students—totaling 36 seats– for the 2016/2017 school year, according to a statement from Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer.
The transportable will be located at the 5-14 5-16 49th Avenue school, which is currently a vacant lot. The lot is owned by local plastics manufacturing company Plaxall.
The announcement comes just a month after the DOE said that it would add an additional 40 Pre-K slots at P.S. 78.
The additional seats are expected to meet demand since the wait list for P.S. 78 was in the vicinity of 75 seats two months ago.
The Gantry Parent Association, a local education advocacy group that started last year, launched a petition in May calling for more universal Pre-K seats at P.S. 78 that has generated about 1,000 signatures. Several parents were upset that they might have to send their children long distances for Pre-K.
“I’m very pleased that after much advocacy and pushing from parents and my office, the DOE confirmed that they have found room for an additional 36 children to attend Pre-K in Hunters Point,” said Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer. “Because of our urging, the DOE has added a total of 76 Pre-K seats, eliminating the PS/IS 78 Pre-K waitlist.”
The temporary school site (owned by Plaxall)
4 Comments
About time to clean up that prime Plaxall eyesore. Feral cats, overgrown weeds, garbage pit, all courtesy of LIC’s laziest landowner. Hope the DOE will replace that wrecked sidewalk, too. Have seen too many kids and adults trip or wipe out there. If Plaxall had tenants there, they’d be slumlords.
I’ve worked in such structures in the past. I have no idea what these will look like, but the ones I have experience with were air conditioned, had real bathrooms, and quite roomy. Much larger than a mobile home, which some people might be envisioning. Nobody thought they were just going to build a school in two months, did they?
PS111 has traditional classrooms. That’s always another the option!
In plain language, “transportable structure” is a trailer.