Program upgrades for Island schools
Mayor wants to
upgrade S.I. Tech, open new high school at CSI and develop gifted,
autistic programs
Staten Island Advance - January 26, 2005
Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled four major Staten
Island initiatives yesterday that might soon transform the
educational landscape here, including a proposal to turn Staten
Island Technical High School into the borough's first test-admission
school, anointing it with the prestige of city schools like
Stuyvesant High School and Bronx High School of Science.
Joined by Schools Chancellor Joel Klein at Staten Island Tech in New
Dorp, the mayor also announced plans for an international studies
high school on the College of Staten Island campus; gifted programs
in seven Island schools, and a school for children with a form of
autism called Asperger's syndrome.
"School reform is really the foundation of a strong community," said
Bloomberg, calling Staten Island a borough of "parental pride and
involvement."
Klein described the reforms as "part of a much larger effort to take
the strength of Staten Island and build on it."
Rallying his audience, Klein added, "Let's make Staten Island the
model for the entire nation."
The announcements caused some to question the mayor's motivation in
bringing sought-after reforms to a borough of critical importance in
his bid for re-election this year.
United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, who has
re-entered into contentious negotiations with the city for a new
teachers' contract, praised the initiatives. But she added they have
long been "pressed for, pleaded for, but so dismissed at certain
times. Now here's the mayor and chancellor saying, 'Let's do this
for Staten Island.'"
Citing as an example the mayor's promise to expand gifted programs
for students in underserved areas in his State of the City address,
Ms. Weingarten said, "What I find remarkable is the first
underserved area to meet the mayor's promise is Staten Island."
The mayor, responding to a question during the press conference
about his latest efforts in a borough long underserved, dismissed
the idea that the moves are politically motivated.
"If you take a look at where the schools are and what we're doing,
there is no borough left behind. I hope there's no neighborhood left
behind. You can't do everything overnight."
CATCHING UP
Some Islanders were quick to note that the city has some catching up
to do.
Andrea Lella, president of the Region 7 Community Education Council,
told the mayor she was pleased the borough would get a new high
school at the College of Staten Island as part of the department's
push to build 200 small schools by 2007.
But she couldn't help but ask, "Why only one?"
Klein answered that a second small school is on the way, and that as
demand at the College of Staten Island High School for International
Studies grows and funds become available, more will come.
Staten Island also is the only borough without a "specialized high
school," or a test-admission school.
Bloomberg said within the next two weeks, a task force will begin
examining the pros and cons of turning Staten Island Tech into a
specialized high school. Assuming plans move ahead, a student's
acceptance would be determined by his or her score on the
Specialized High Schools Admissions Test, possibly as early as
September 2006.
TECH'S STATUS
Although Staten Island Tech is an exemplary school where 100 percent
of students graduate and 100 percent pass math and science Regents
exams, supporters of the change say the school would finally be
given the prestige it deserves, which brings with it more funding,
greater national visibility and more Ivy League college acceptances.
Supporters say another advantage is that more students will be drawn
to the school from off the Island. "Bringing student talent in is
very important," said Klein, adding that it allows for a
"cross-pollination" of ideas and broadens students' intellectual
challenges.
But critics question the wisdom of admitting students based on a
single test score, as opposed to the current admission process,
which looks at grades and standardized test scores. They also worry
that the change would jeopardize the school's tight-knit atmosphere.
STUDENT BODY
During the press conference, Jillian Jorgensen, 17, a senior from
Annadale, asked if the school would simply end up enrolling good
test-takers, rather than well-rounded students. Regional
Superintendent Michelle Fratti, who will chair the task force, told
her the committee would deal with that challenging issue, but did
not elaborate.
In the school hallway later, Miss Jorgensen added, "We really do run
a risk of losing a great community environment in this school."
Compared to Stuyvesant, she said, "this is a better environment."
Some parents worry about Island students who have been planning to
attend Tech but suddenly would be subjected to a new test -- the
same given to students applying to Stuyvesant and Bronx Science --
and competing against an expected increase in off-Island applicants.
As it is, demand far outstrips supply at the school, which
emphasizes science, math and engineering, and requires students to
learn Russian. More than 2,000 applicants vie for only 220 spots
each year.
The remaining three initiatives, all set to debut this fall, are
eagerly anticipated across the board, though full details have yet
to emerge.
Gifted programs will be introduced this September at PS 22,
Graniteville; PS 31, New Brighton; PS 41, New Dorp; PS 48, Concord;
PS 53, Bay Terrace; PS 54, Willowbrook, and Prall Intermediate
School, West Brighton.
A school for students with Asperger's syndrome will open this fall,
but the location has yet to be determined. It will place children
with autism into small classes where they will learn side-by-side
with general education students.
Brimming with enthusiasm as he summed up the changes, Klein
predicted that "five years from now, when people look at education
in Staten Island, it will be richer, more demanding, more diverse
and more robust."
By Heidi J. Shrager
Reprinted here with permission from the
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