District I Parents and City Council Member Rosie Mendez Say "No" To DoE's Decision to Remove more than 30 Pre-K Children from their District I Schools
May 5, 2009 - District I parents and City Council Member Rosie Mendez today urge the Department of Education to reverse course on its decision to deny Pre-K as point of entry into District One schools- all of which offer full day pre-k.
Last week, the Department of Education sent out letters to families in District I who had children entering kindergarten telling them whether or not they had a spot for the academic year 2009-10. The letters went out without notice to parents, principles, elected officials or members of the district's Community Education Counci I (CEC). Furthermore, the DoE has ignored pleas and letters from elected officials, parents and community leaders asking for educational continuity for kids and families. D-,st,-jct l' schools all offer full day Pre-K and Pre-K ha-, '"-cert aii official point of entry in District I schools for the past 18 years. DcE's newly centralized admissions process overrides decades of district values and history. One negative consequence of the new blind lottery process is that over thirty 4 and 5 year olds currently attending District One public school Pre-K programs have been told that they can not return to their schools in the fall. Many families who applied for Kindergarten have not even received letters and do not know if their children will have a Kindergarten placement for September.
"This case is another example of the DoE ignoring sound educational policy and the needs of children and their families," said Cathy Albisa, a neighborhood parent. "The school system is supposed to support families and create community, not remove children from schools in which they are thriving."
"My son is now number 31 on a waiting list," said Rachel Bendetson whose son Duy is a current Pre-K child at the Earth School. "I have not received a letter from the DoE, I do not know where I will send my child to school next year. VAat do I say to him, 'Sorry all your friends are going back to school, but you are not?' "
"DoE's centralized admission process undermines District I's long standing policy of parent choice" stated Councilwomen Rosle Mendez. "The local policy not only provides for the economic and social diversity of schools but also creates stability for children and their families starting with Pre-k. This policy has helped revive our district's schools. It ain't broke - so don't fix it!"
"As president of the CEC, I have fought with the DoE for over 3 years on this policy" stated Lisa Donlan,, president of CEC I in Manhattan. "They have refused to honor our community values and history of preserving economic and racial diversity for our community. The DoE's reforms have created an unfair system that hurts children, families and schools in our community."
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer called on the Department of Education to come to the table and work with parents to improve the admissions procedure in school District I to preserve equitable access while also prioritizing Pre-K as the point of entry into the school system. "Making this change will not only ease the process for young children as they become acclimated to a new school, but also create a more stable environment for those children in their most formative years," he added.
