Dear Chancellor Walcott:
We write to encourage the Department of Education to take steps to address long- standing overcrowding at PS 116 by immediately zoning and incubating the new school, PS/IS 281, which is opening at First Avenue and 35th Street in September 2013.
As you know, PS 116 has been beset by capacity challenges for a number of years now, resulting in frequent kindergarten waitlists, the loss of Gifted & Talented and pre-kindergarten programs, and class sizes above contractual limits. Indeed, the DOE recognized the severity of PS 116’s capacity issues this year, capping the school’s kindergarten enrollment (albeit above the limit of 25 students per classroom).
