Ridgewood School Looking To Expand DOE To Hold Hearing On P.S. 305 Proposal If approved, P.S. 305 (Learners and Leaders), presently a early childhood center located at 378 SenecaAve. serving students from kindergarten through the third grade, would add fourth- and fifth-grade classes over a twoyear period beginning in September 2015. P.S. 305 would also expand into a new building that the city’s School Construction Authority is erecting at 360 Seneca Ave., the former St. Aloysius School site, which is also set to open next September. Parents at P.S. 305—which shares the same school zone as P.S. 81, located at 556 Cypress Ave.—initially presented to the DOE last fall a proposal to expand into the new school. Local elected officials and the District 24 Community Education Council also voiced support for the plan. Because the grade expansion will enable P.S. 305 to add students from kindergarten through the fifth grade, the DOE will also rezone the boundaries of both P.S. 81 and P.S. 305. “Based on the school’s record of academic success, additional capacity created by the new building and vast community support, the DOE approved Learners and Leaders’ grade expansion request, pending approval of this proposal by the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP),” according to a DOE public notice sent to the Times Newsweekly last week. Once it reaches its full grade span in September 2016, according to the DOE, P.S. 305 will have a combined enrollment in both buildings between 631 and 691 students; that could increase to a stable enrollment of between 756 and 816 by the 2020-21 school year, slightly below or above the target capacity of 782 students. The grade expansion is not expected to impact extracurricular activities that the Ridgewood YMCA operates at P.S. 305’s main campus. The public hearing will take place at P.S. 305 on Monday night, Nov. 10, at 6 p.m. Attendees may register to speak beginning 30 minutes prior to the hearing; the signup period will conclude 15 minutes after the hearing starts. Members of the public may also submit comments to Annabelle Eliashiv of the DOE’s Office of District Planning in advance. Oral comments may be made by calling 1-212-374-7621; written remarks may be sent by email to D24Proposals@schools.nyc.gov or by standard mail to Annabelle Eliashiv, Office of District Planning, 52 Chambers St., New York, NY 10007. 17 • TIMES, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2014 by Robert Pozarycki The Department of Education (DOE) will hold a public hearing next month on a plan to expand a Ridgewood school into a new public school facility being built directly across from it. NNeewwss FFroomm TThhee Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association The 411 On 311 by Alexander Blenkinsopp Back when it was created, our city’s 311 system was revolutionary. In 2003, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg established the single phone number for New Yorkers to call with complaints or questions for any city agency. The move was a perfect example of a former business leader bringing an efficient, businesslike approach to his government work. We no longer needed to figure out on our own which agency was responsible for the problem we had, and we no longer needed to track down the right phone number to call. Whatever the problem, we could get it resolved just by dialing 311. The success of this visionary system depended on the city agencies actually responding to residents’ concerns. If people called 311 and failed to get results, they would not have trust in the new system. For the first few years, 311 worked well and improved New York City living. Unfortunately, over time, as 311 became an institution in the city, it also became disliked by more and more New Yorkers. The problem is that some agencies ceased to be responsive to 311 requests. People spent time logging requests with the system but they didn’t get results, so 311 began to feel more like an impediment to help, instead of a useful tool. We at the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association (WRBA) have not given up on 311. We use it constantly for complaints of our own. We tell residents to log 311 requests for their problems first, so that they can then come to us with 311 service request numbers in hand. In April 2012, we held a “311 Day,” during which WRBA members called in complaints about a variety of issues. Generous donors contributed a fixed amount to the Woodhaven- Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps for every 311 request logged. The WRBA also -SEE WRBA ON PG. 26- Do you have diabetes? 20% of diabetics will develop a foot ulcer in their lifetime. Have you had your feet checked lately Call Now & End Your Tax Nightmare! ©Times Newsweekly - 2014 - THETAXAD • Owe the IRS more than $10,000? • Being Audited? • Unfiled Tax Returns? • Wage & Bank Levies? Co-Author of the best selling book “Breaking the Tax Code” Salvatore P. Candela, EA, ATA, ABA Enrolled Agent - Tax Advisor The TaxAdvocate Group (T) 877.TAX.1040 (F) 718.894.4476 scandela@thetaxadvocategroup.com www.thetaxadvocategroup.com GOT A TOOTHACHE? Need it fixed fast at your convenience? Want quality work at an affordable price? Want clean and sterilized instruments...guaranteed? THEN YOU WANT... Dr. Santa LoCascio ©Times Newsweekly - 2014- DR.^LOCASCIO Try Our New Plan Complete Cleaning Package $9900 (Including X-Rays & Exams) Any Filling, Extraction Or Emergency Visit $9900 We Also Accept Most Insurances. Providing Dental Care For The Entire Family For Over 20 Years Dr. Santa LoCascio D.D.S., P.C. 70-16 Fresh Pond Rd.,Ridgewood, NY 1-718-628-6588 Like Us On Facebook ©Times Newsweekly - 20147 - DR1.DEL8LAC-N6 E3 W9 --F3 E3 E3 T8
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