<p>"As a growing collection of Manhattan’s most celebrated public elementary schools notify neighborhood parents that their children have been placed on waiting lists for kindergarten slots, middle-class vitriol against the school system — and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg — is mounting."</p>
<p>Is this just for any spot in kindgergarten? Or are the parents being picky?</p>
<p>Of course the city will provide spots, its just not in the neighborhood school. Shlepping kindergardens to a different zone isnt easy.</p>
<p>These are places in their own local district schools. I wonder if there is anywhere else in the country that tells prospective kindergarten parents their kids have to enter a lottery to get into public kindergarten. Some older kids ride public transportation to school but how can a five year old do that without an escort? (Of course, between the ages of six to nine I took a public bus by myself to school and took a subway and bus alone on Saturdays to dance and swimming class but my parents would probably be charged now with child neglect.)</p>
<p>This is just a load of Manhattan-centric garbage. Those kids probably could get seats a few blocks further away at another school, but it doesn’t have the prestige of PS 41. It’s not that tough to get around Manhattan. They should try Staten Island. We don’t have neighborhood schools in the same way and no subways at all. With all the problems in the world, these people should be ashamed.</p>
<p>Zooser, I live in suburbs, but beg to differ. Yes there is less public transportation in Staten Island, but SI is more suburban area, and more car friendly. The expectation is that most people have cars (as they do where I live). As to the kids could “probably get seats a few blocks away” - are you just speculating? what about kids with siblings in school? I am scared this will cause more parents to bolt for the suburbs. Yes our schools will take them in, but NYC will lose their income tax.</p>
<p>Most parents used to send their kids to private schools, but with the economy the way it is, people are probably opting for public education.</p>
<p>more NYC kindergarten admissions woes circa 2007/2008:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/431250-trend-legacies-losing-favor-nyc-kindergartens-ny-sun.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/431250-trend-legacies-losing-favor-nyc-kindergartens-ny-sun.html</a></p>
<p>on the private side…perhaps the competition has subsided there a bit?</p>
<p>
Staten Island is one of the least car friendly areas in the entire country. To quote Casey Stengel, you could look it up! Because we don’t have adequate public transportation and the main traffic artery is used by commuters to Brooklyn in massive numbers, it is very, very difficult to get around on Staten Island by car, and walking is simply not an option with the distance served by the public schools.</p>
<p>I know for a fact that part of the problem (not all of it) is that PS 41 is one of the “it” schools in Manhattan and the parents want the kids THERE. All schools are overcrowded, but there are seats in the general area for most. The sibling issue is a concern and I have great sympathy for that, without question, but there actually is more of the story than what was presented.</p>
<p>Zooser, trust me, the major arteries in Westchester, NJ and Conn are clogged every morning too. To compare transportation in SI with Manhattan is just not fair. Is there parking/drop off at your local school? Do you think there is in Manhattan? </p>
<p>PS 41 is a highly regarded school, but it is not the only one oversubscribed. There are many others. </p>
<p>The mayor knows that parents who have the financial means will make the best decisions for their children, and that while private school may not be feaible, moving out of the city is.</p>
<p>
Absolutely, categorically not. I’m not sure where your perception is coming from, but I politely and respectfully submit to you that it’s not accurate.</p>
<p>(I’m a transportation activist and have been working on this issue at the highest level for more than 20 years, from meeting directly with governors, senators and commissioners to holding press conferences, so I really do know what I’m talking about).</p>
<p>The parents in the article have cause for concern. Some more than others, but there is a great element of wanting what they want when they want it in this story.</p>
<p>[UrbanBaby</a> - Parenting forums, newborn, toddler, preschool - Talk](<a href=“http://www.urbanbaby.com/talk/posts/tags/NY+Schools?sort_by_recency=1]UrbanBaby”>http://www.urbanbaby.com/talk/posts/tags/NY+Schools?sort_by_recency=1)
You think CC is bad take a peek at the preschool/kdg frenzies and Olsat scores etc. Being a test prep tutor in Manhattan for elementary is a very lucrative job</p>
<p>Zooser is right, there is way more to this than meets the casual observers eye.</p>
<p>
That may well be true, but the mayor’s hands are kind of tied here. He isn’t in a position to build new schools and there’s only so much classroom space that can be created in those buildings. He can’t go to the schools and move out the less affluent kids because he’s not afraid of them leaving the city, either. As for overcrowding, I really am sympathetic. That’s not a good thing (my own kid’s school is at 170% of capacity and it’s problematic), but everyone can’t have exactly what they want and sometimes even affluent Manhattanites might have to compromise.</p>
<p>Zooser, in most parts of NY, when you buy a house, you know your child will have a spot in the local zoned school. Is that true where you live? If you wanted to sell your house, would you be able to tell the buyers where there kids are going to Kindergarden?</p>
<p>Staten Island is very different, Kay. Our schools cover gigantic geographic areas, they’re not local in the sense of other places. We also have some schools that are “zoned” and some that are not. It really is just different. The population has doubled in about the last 25 years-ish and infrastructure hasn’t grown very much at all, so things aren’t what one would take as expected in other areas. Which is what comes from having 2 1/2 seats on a 51-member City Council. Absolutely nothing.</p>
<p>I agree kids should have seats in their zoned schools. But the dirty little secret is that a chunk of the overcrowding is caused by the people who don’t actually live in the zone putting their kids in the hot schools by hook or by crook. Are the parents who are howling willing to have the City do what some suburban districts do and really check on addresses? I’d sincerely like to know the answer to that. I’d also like to see what the numbers are when that’s considered. I could really see the numbers being large enough to be a factor and if the City became aggressive in checking, there would be another group of affluent parents freaking out about “witch hunts.”</p>
<p>
Then that’s what should change.</p>
<p>
But it won’t because it’s the same demographic.</p>
<p>Can someone provide a basic explanation of how NYC schools work? In my neck of the woods, you go to the school that is “assigned” to your neighborhood (although my town is so small, there’s only one elem/middle/HS). One can opt for a charter school or a private school, but I don’t understand waiting lists for kindergarten.</p>
<p>The problem is that while students were historically “zoned” or assigned by their address, there is such overcrowding that kids will not be able to go to neighborhood schools. And in NY, neighborhoods can change in a matter of feet. I would guess where you live, certainly wheere I live, the schools can change a lot in a few miles. And instead of building another schoool or a wing, the real estate is so crowded, they are moving kids around.</p>
<p>The situation is no different than it has ever been except there are now more folks in this situation. More and more upscale families with children are living in Manhattan. They made the decision to commit to living there based on the quality of the local school. So many have done this, that the local school cannot fit everyone. When that happens, the kids are waitlisted for that school and assigned to another school that is not overcrowded.</p>
<p>The problem is that some of these other schools are not desirable. It isn’t just a matter of prestige. Some of the schools serve areas that can be downright dangerous and the schools are not very good. Also there is the matter of distance. The local school is often a walkable distance or a short bus ride whereas the alternate school can mean quite a distance and loooong bus rides. There is a wide discrepancy among schools in NYC, as in many cities, and there are schools that most of us would not want our children to attend. </p>
<p>As I stated earlier, this has always been the case. Nothing new. But this time these desirable neighborhood schools that serve the upscale neighborhoods are really so overcrowded that the number of kids and families affected is very high. The parents are upset. In any public school setting, there is the possibility of a change if a building becomes unavailable or a schools fills up. It’s just in NYC, the change can mean the difference between sending your child to the public school or private school, since the quality differences can be immense.</p>
<p>Also, there are deadllines with private school that can be a problem. NYC independent schools are very strict about enforcing contracts, so if you agree to the acceptance terms, you are responsible for that year’s tuition even if you change your mind before the school year. THey will go after you. Also the tuitions are very expensive.</p>