Haimson on Paul Robeson Faze-Out: EIS of Paul Robeson HS; unbelievable!

This is even more incredible than the last EIS I read:

http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/F0043783-8608-433C-855E-99228622A268/73549/17K625Robeson_EIS1.pdf

There are no other schools currently located in K625. The 2008-2009 target utilization rate of K625 was 102%. It has a capacity of 1,155…..

10/31/2009 ATS Active Register): 1,020

Beginning in the 2010-2011 school year, Paul Robeson High School (17K625, “Robeson High School”), an existing school serving grades 9-12, will be phased-out of operation. Robeson High School is housed in school building K625 (hereinafter referred to as “K625”), located at 150 Albany Avenue, Brooklyn in Community School District 17 (“District 17”). There are no other schools currently located in K625. The 2008-2009 target utilization rate of K625 was 102%. It has a capacity of 1,155.

In the 2010-2011, Robeson High School will begin phasing out one grade per year. Grade 9 will be eliminated in 2010-2011, grade 10 will be eliminated in 2011-2012, and grade 11 will be eliminated in 2012-2013. Robeson High School will close in June 2013.

….. Due to the school’s failure to make significant progress, the DOE now proposes this phase-out and eventual closure. At this time there is no plan for the use of space made available by the phase-out and closure of Robeson High School.

Community Ramifications

Approximately 1,020 high school seats will be eliminated by the phase-out of Robeson High School. However, the majority of those seats will be recovered with the phase-in of new schools throughout the City and available seats in existing high schools….

Current Robeson High School students enrolled in grade 9 for the first time will have the opportunity to participate in the citywide high schools admissions process so that they can begin in a different school for grade 10 in September 2010 (pending satisfactory completion of promotion criteria and grade 10 seat availability). Current Robeson High School grade 10 students and students who are repeating grade 9 are encouraged to meet with their guidance counselors to explore their options for the 2010-2011 school year. There are sufficient high school seats in Brooklyn and Citywide to accommodate students that would have attended Robeson.

There are sufficient high school seats in Brooklyn and Citywide? As of last school year, 57% of our HS students attended overcrowded buildings at or over 100% utilization – 167,000 students, according to the DOE “blue book”, which most experts (and principals) believe underestimates the level of overcrowding at schools.

In Brooklyn, more than 50% of HS students attended overcrowded buildings -- nearly 44,000. Where are all these kids going to attend school? This is horrific and unbelievable.

And Look at this:

Personnel

All administrative staff and non-pedagogical positions at Robeson High School will be eliminated over the course of the phase-out and eventual closure.

All teaching positions at Robeson High School will be eliminated over the course of the phase-out. However, the elimination of these assignments will not necessarily result in an overall loss of teaching positions within the citywide system due to transfers to other existing assignments and the creation of additional pedagogical positions with the phase-in of new schools.

Never is it mentioned the huge cost to the system of putting all those teachers on ATR – on full salary but not assigned to regular classrooms anywhere. What could possibly be the purpose of this?

ED NOTE: Could the answer be an expectation that the ATR problem will be eliminated? My reading is that there will be no contract without some give on the ATRs. I'll get into more of this in an upcoming post.