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A ‘permanent’ home for Success?
Mayor de Blasio says DOE secured a location for a Success Academy middle school
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Councilwoman Adrienne Adams participate in a town hall meeting with
residents of Jamaica, Rochdale Village, Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park at August Martin
High School. Photo courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
BY ANGELICA ACEVEDO
Mayor Bill de Blasio was
met with several questions
from middle school-aged
kids about a permanent location
for a Success Academy
middle school in southeast
Queens during Wednesday’s
town hall meeting at August
Martin High School.
“You promised the Success
Academy a middle
school, why haven’t you given
us the space?” Grace Lee
said.
De Blasio quickly answered
Lee’s question by
saying that the Department
of Education has found a
space for the school.
He turned to Karin Goldmark,
the DOE’s deputy
chancellor, who said that
they have identified a space
that used to be a school and
can accommodate 500 students.
The space is located
at 125-18 Rockaway Blvd. in
South Jamaica.
But some people in the
crowd shouted that the space
“isn’t permanent” and that it
would only be available “for
two years.”
Goldmark then said that
the space is “long-term.”
“So it is permanent,” de
Blasio added.
A spokesperson for Success
Academy questioned
whether the space is adequate
and said they will examine
the school next week.
“While there are many
public school buildings with
space available which would
be far closer to our families,
we intend to examine
this option in good faith to
see whether it can meet the
needs of our families,” Ann
Powell, executive vice president
of Public Affairs and
Communications at Success
Academy, told QNS.
The mayor’s office, in
turn, told QNS that Success
Academy is projected to enroll
approximately 200 students
for the fall, and they’re
confident the space will
“meet the need for at least
two years” as they monitor
enrollment.
They added that the site
has been vetted by the DOE’s
Division of School Planning
and Development.
Additionally, the mayor’s
office said that state law
requires that the city help
pay rent for charter schools
when they lease private
space and are encouraging
Success Academy to move
forward with the space “in
order to take advantage of
rental assistance.”
But Success Academy’s
families and educators have
been waiting for more than
two years for a permanent
school.
In October, hundreds of
fourth-grade students, their
parents and teachers held
a rally on the steps of City
Hall in protest of de Blasio’s
delayed response in identifying
a permanent middle
school location in Southeast
Queens.
And back in September,
more than 4,000 parents, students
and educators rallied
for a permanent school at
Roy Wilkins Park in St.
Albans.
Vol. 7, No. 47 52 total pages
NOV 25 25 - NOV 30
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