12 C R Y D E R P O I N T OCTOBER Principal resigns after protests, allegations THE COURIER/File photo An August community rally called for the removal of P.S. 29 Principal Jennifer Jones-Rogers. RALLY AGAINST CO-LOCATION BY MELISSA CHAN Queens lawmakers and dozens of students carrying picket signs rallied last week against the city’s plans to put another school inside the storied yet struggling Martin Van Buren High School. “We’ve been fighting so hard,” said Councilmember Mark Weprin. “We’ve made a lot of progress, but in the dead of night, in secret, they put a colocation in the school.” The city’s Department of Education (DOE) has proposed adding a new early college within the Queens Village school to serve grades nine to 14. Education officials said the Early College and Career Technical Education High School would give students a chance to get an associate degree while in high school. It would focus on computer science and business technology and give students “real-world work experience” through internships and focus on career readiness, the DOE said. But students are unwilling to share the already congested 230-17 Hillside Avenue building. “It’s already crowded as it is,” said Gaitree Boojraj, 16, the school’s junior president. “We don’t need more people in this school.” The new school would also undo progress Van Buren has made since Principal Sam Sochet took over last June, said Queens legislators, who held another rally in July. “Sochet’s been turning the school around,” said State Senator Tony Avella. “The students are getting the type of education they need. Then, we get a knife in the back. We’re not accepting this. We are not going to let this happen. We’re going to fight until the bitter end.” Van Buren has improved a full letter grade from a “D” to a “C” under its new leadership, the latest city progress report shows. “It’s not about one person. It’s about an entire community,” said James Vasquez, the UFT district representative for Queens high schools. But the community seems to be split. Leaders from nine of the largest civic associations in eastern Queens, representing thousands zoned to Van Buren, said they supported co-location plans that would “fast track” positive changes. The early college would “be the catalyst needed” to restore Van Buren’s prior high academic standards, said Mike Castellano, president of Lost Community Civic Association. More than a decade of decline, the group said, is too much for one principal to quickly fix. The school would also give its graduating students two years of tuition-free education at Queensborough Community College, the civic leaders said. “This is a win-win for students, parents and the community, and a huge attraction that will finally begin to raise the four percent local community participation rate,” said Bob Friedrich, president of Glen Oaks Village. “This is a blueprint for success.” The city held a public hearing to discuss the plans on October 23, after The Courier went to press. 12 CRYDER POINT COURIER | OCTOBER 2013 | WWW.QUEENSCOURIER.COM BY MELISSA CHAN The so-called “terror-driven reign” of a College Point principal is over. Jennifer Jones-Rogers resigned as head of P.S. 29 last week, education officials confirmed, after dozens in the community urged the city to fire her earlier this summer. “I think that this is a step in the right direction, but it’s not everything,” said Gloria Huachamber, who has a 9-year-old son in the school. “Why did this happen in the first place? As much as I am happy, what happens to all the damage that was done? We need to follow the trail.” Critics said Jones-Rogers wrongfully placed a handful of students in special education classes without notifying parents and created a “hostile environment” that drove away teachers and caused parents to pull their kids from the elementary school. “The behavior of Principal Jones-Rogers as described by parents and teachers was simply unacceptable, and it became clear that she had lost control of the school,” said State Senator Tony Avella. Jones-Rogers quit October 8, a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Education (DOE) said. Jill Leaky-Eisenberg, a veteran educator with more than 20 years of experience under her belt, replaces her. She was the assistant principal of P.S. 21 in Flushing before the switch, the DOE said. “I don’t think this was a resigning. I think this was more avoiding the issue. People don’t just leave overnight,” Huachamber said. According to the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators (CSA), Jones-Rogers recently gave birth and is leaving to support her husband’s new job out of New York. “We’re very happy that her husband got a great, new job out of state and they’re moving,” said CSA spokesperson Chiara Coletti. “I’m sure she’ll continue to work there.” About two dozen parents and teachers rallied in front of P.S. 29 in August to call on the city to fire Jones-Rogers and start an investigation into apparent mismanagement of funds. Educators say she did not provide a copy of the school’s budget to the United Federation of Teachers chapter president for the past two years as required and also got rid of the school’s library and computer lab. The principal’s bullish tactics were also allegedly used on teachers who complained about her, according to many who said they had their desks taken away as punishment. “Now there’s peace at the school — for now,” Huachamber said. According to Avella, the Office of the Special Commissioner of Investigation probed the administrator’s handlings. Jones-Rogers could not be reached for comment. A similar rally held last year to remove an unpopular principal at Martin Van Buren High School yielded the same result. Marilyn Shevell, who was called an “ineffective leader” by members of the PTA and community, retired from the Queens Village school last July after the protest, according to the DOE. Van Buren has since improved a full letter grade from a “D” to a “C” under new leadership from Sam Sochet, the latest progress report shows. P.S. 29 scored a “B” on its most recent report. The school received an “A” in 2010 during Jones-Rogers’ first term.
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