16 C R Y D E R P O I N T JULY/AUGUST Teachers, parents claim principal makes P.S. 29 a ‘Hostile environment’ BY MELISSA CHAN Several parents and teachers in College Point want the city to end what they claim is an elementary school principal’s terror-driven reign. They said Jennifer Jones-Rogers of P.S. 29 has wrongfully placed a handful of students in special education classes without notifying parents. Critics also say the administrator’s “hostile environment” has driven away droves of teachers and has caused parents to pull their kids from the school. “It is a shame that one person can do so much harm,” said parent Linda Briones, who has since transferred her child out of the school. Marisol Chavez said her 9-year-old son Lukas “came crying home” at the start of the school year when he was put into a special education class. “He said, ‘I don’t want to be in that class. I don’t belong in that class,’” Chavez said. He spent a week there before Chavez was able to straighten out the mishap. “I had to fight it. They made me cry,” she said. “She said my son would never perform well in another setting, that he will never succeed. It was horrible.” The principal’s bullish tactics are also allegedly used on teachers who complain about her. Many said they had their desks taken away as punishment. “It is clear that the principal has lost control of the school,” said State Senator Tony Avella, who joined about two dozen people at a rally on August 1. The group called for the city to fire Jones- Rogers and start an investigation into apparent mismanagement of funds. Educators say she has not provided a copy of the school’s budget to the United Federation of Teachers chapter president for the past two years as required. Jones-Rogers is also accused of getting rid of the school’s library and computer lab. “The current administrator at our school has created a learning and working environment that is detrimental to all,” said Stephanie Flunory, a second grade teacher. P.S. 29 scored a “B” on its most recent city progress report. The school received an “A” in 2010 during the principal’s first term. 16 cryder point courier | JULY/AUGUST2013 | WWW.QUEENSCOURIER.COM A spokesperson for the city’s Department of Education said the department is “aware of the concerns” and will address them. The Council of School Supervisors and Administrators (CSA) vouched for Jones-Rogers, saying she is “widely considered to be a fine school leader.” “This is a typical case of a handful of disgruntled people and a politician who is looking to further his constituent base in an election season,” said CSA Executive Vice President Mark Cannizzaro. Jones-Rogers could not be immediately reached for comment. THE COURIER/Photo by Melissa Chan Parents and teachers rallied to get P.S. 29’s principal, Jennifer Jones-Rogers, fired. Funds to help Van Buren ‘transform’ BY MELISSA CHAN A struggling Queens Village school will get more than $4 million in federal funds to bounce back this fall. Martin Van Buren High School and 21 others in the city were awarded $74.2 million in School Improvement Grants (SIG) to be used over three years, State Education Commissioner John King Jr. announced last week. The state’s education department doled out a total of $126 million to 34 low-performing schools throughout New York this year. It was the second round of funding in 2013, though no Queens school was awarded earlier, officials said. The dollars will go toward implementing “intervention models” in the failing schools, education officials said. “Many English language learners, students with disabilities and low-income students are in schools that need to change,” King said. “SIG grants can help give those students the opportunity to attend schools that are changing what’s happening in the classroom.” Van Buren received a C in the city Department of Education’s (DOE) most recent progress report, which is based on student progress toward graduation, performance on standardized tests, coursework and student attendance. Elected officials said morale and grades have been improving under the school’s new principal, Sam Sochet, since he took over last June. The school was also acknowledged as “developing” during last year’s DOE evaluation, a step above the failing grade “underdeveloped.” “Our strategy has always been to take action rather than sit idly by,” said city Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott, “and today’s awards validate our work. The grants will support students at schools that are phasing out, provide resources to bolster interventions in schools that are struggling, and help new schools deliver great outcomes.” Under the designated “transformation model,” Van Buren would have been forced to replace its principal, the state education department said. But since Sochet is new to the helm, that requirement is already satisfied, a city spokesperson said. However, Van Buren educators, under another condition, will have to follow the state’s approved Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) plans. “Martin Van Buren High School has made huge strides over the year,” said Councilmember Mark Weprin. “This money will go a long way to help put the school in better shape than we are already.” The DOE recently proposed adding another school inside Van Buren next year, in a move known as colocation, despite protests from Queens lawmakers. They say the move would eliminate 500 existing seats. “Hopefully, the DOE will realize we can do wonderful things at Martin Van Buren and not worry about co-locating schools in the building,” Weprin said. “It’s already on the way back.”
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