BROOKLYN COMMUNITY BOARD 6
YOUTH/HUMAN SERVICES/EDUCATION COMMITTEE
MARCH 23, 2016
ATTENDANCE:
PRESENT:
P. BELLENBAUM E. CAUSIL-RODRIGUEZ R. CERVONE
K. GURL T. JACKSON B. SOLOTAIRE
S. TURET R. UNDERWOOD
EXCUSED:
E. FELDER R. FREEMAN
ABSENT:
F. BROWN J. BROWN L. HILL
F. JEAN P. LI A. MEHTA
C. ROBELLO A. SHEFRIN
GUESTS:
O. JONES – REP. FOR HON. VELMANETTE MONTGOMERY, STATE SENATOR
T. SMITH – REP. FOR SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION AUTHORITY
L. BURR N. ROSANO D. GOLDSMITH
***MINUTES***
Presentation and discussion with representatives for the School Construction
Authority on their upcoming Capital Plan, with specific emphasis on projects and needs in School District’s 13 & 15.
The meeting was called to order at 6:38pm by Paige Bellenbaum, co-chair for Human Services.
Tamar Smith, the Community Relations Coordinator for the School Construction Authority made the presentation of the Capital Plan upcoming for District 13 and 15. - Amendment adding $1.4 billion total Capital Plan (citywide) - SCA divides Capital Plan into: capacity, capital investment, and mandated programs. - In District 15: P.S. 516 and P.S> 32 have seats added with this amendment and more Pre-Ks are coming to the district >sited projects - Many projects not seated yet in Sunset Park, Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Gowanus/Red Hook. - Total of 3,291 not yet sited seats (new) - In District 13: Dock Street Campus, I.S. 653, and Dock Street Pre-K Center have seats added (already sited)
- Not yet sited projects in Dumbo, Navy Yard and Ft. Greene (1,620 total unsited seats) - Less expensive for SCA to have developers build schools
Q. Who determines what sites are affordable? A. Often can’t find – outbid on rare locations, developers can afford more but SCA can invest in some properties > different standards than developers. Money can roll over into next fiscal year. Brokers in every borough looking for good spaces.
Sayar Lonial: Safety, environmental issues, traffic impacts, etc. need to be considered.
Rob Underwood: District schools can accept students from other schools, district/zoning lines are for prioritization > many schools in District 15 are under capacity, others are overcrowded.
Suzanne Turet: How do not sited schools reflect the communities’ schools > over/under at capacity?
SCA considers seat need on district level, not neighborhood level > 44,000 new seats considered to be needed. Seats needed in Capital Plan are mostly funded, some unfunded.
Rob Underwood: Some schools are built and take kids from other districts – need to use up capacity first.
Suggested sites: sites @nycsa.org, www: nycsa.org
Rob Underwood: % of P.S. ’s kindergarten students not from the district.
Benjamin Solotaire: Is participatory budgeting money used? Good way to bring attention to issues.
Naila Rosano and David Goldsmith – CEC 15 and 13 (respectively). Resolution to support the commission o school siting and planning (from CEC 15). - Tons of condos/new developments in neighborhoods but can’t find sites for schools – problem is planning. - Made list of potential sites in District 15 – takes long to get sites approved, only one broker per borough. - Want to form a commission appointed by the City Council and Mayor to address these issues – trying to get community support. - Meeting with other CEC’s on April nd and the Council in May. - Would be separate from City Planning Commission. Working as advocacy and accountability, independent of CECs – citywide. - SCA doesn’t always think about impact. Downtown Brooklyn has buildings going up but empty schools. - School planning moving back toward districts not discussing schools. - SCA keeps adding projects but not completing. - Rob Underwood: School segregation is connected to capacity and funding.
Paige Bellenbaum: Any consideration of doing a borough-based lottery system? - > helps end segregation in schools
CEC13.org - Student enrollment – major tool to make schools great, not being used. - Need to make schools reflect community plus values of NYC. - Rob: Schools are more segregated than neighborhoods, people self-segregate. - Room for segregation/enrollment in commission proposal? > will consider adding. - Not being thoughtful about the way we use our resources. - Not getting enough from the SCA. - Will look into other cities in state with similar issues.
Continued discussion and planning of spring 2016 Youth Event. - Career/education advice, scholarship info - Balancing work and school - College admissions - Reaching out to potential employers/internships.
There being m further business to come before the committee, the meeting was adjourned. at 8:29pm.
The minutes were taken by Kara Gurl.