Push to save school

Low enrollment threatening PS 88 in Bronx

Parents and community members are pushing back on a city plan to close a beloved Bronx elementary school for flagging enrollment — arguing the school shouldn’t be punished in a year when registers declined across the city.

Education officials say anemic enrollment at Public School 88 in Claremont Village makes it difficult to keep the school financially healthy — and point to a nearby elementary school with extra space.

But parents say they cherish the tight-knit community at PS 88 — and worry their kids might get lost in the shuffle at the school where they’re slated to transfer, where enrollment tops 800.

“I don’t want the school to be closed,” said Aminata Coulibaly, the parent of a second- and third-grader.

“My two kids say, ‘No, Mommy, I love this place,’ ” the Bronx mom added.

Officials point to a yearslong enrollment decline at PS 88 (photo), which serves students from kindergarten to third grade. The school has had fewer than 150 students since 2018 despite having room for approximately 260 — and saw its biggest enrollment drop this year, from 123 students to 98.

Since funding is doled out per student, officials say that schools with such low enrollment may not be able to sustain the kinds of services kids need.

But parents and community activists say the city should take a more flexible and supportive approach to enrollment drops in a year when registers across the city fell by more than 4% overall, and 9% in kindergarten.

“Yes the numbers are down this year, the principal could use some support,” said Chauncy Young, the director of the Parent Action Committee at New Settlement Houses, who is helping organize parents against the planned closure.

“But if the principal is having an issue outreaching to the community, should we close the school down?”

The low enrollment has actually been beneficial this year, when schools have restricted in-person attendance to maintain physical distance in classrooms, supporters said.

Coulibaly says both her children have been able to attend in-person classes five days a week at PS 88, while her older child can only attend in-person part-time at PS 53 because of space restrictions. Officials have committed to providing five days a week of in-person classes in the fall.

Grisel Cardona, a parent and volunteer in District 9, where PS 88 is located, said the closure would create another disruption for families already reeling from the dislocation of the pandemic and switch to remote learning.

“If you think about healing-centered approaches, these kids who are remote are going to come back to a building unknown to them,” she said. “It’s going to be very strange.”

Education officials say many parents are already familiar with PS 53 — the nearby elementary school where students would move under the Education Department plan.

PS 88 only goes until third grade, and about 60% of students continue on to PS 53 for fourth and fifth grade, the Education Department pointed out.

But Young, the parent organizer, says PS 53, with more than 800 students, may not be a good option for those looking for a tighter-knit school environment.

“We would like to look at what are the options… a lot of people don’t like sending their kids to 53,” he explained.

Opponents of the closure say the Education Department should give PS 88 additional help recruiting students and consider adding a pre-K and 3-K program to shore up enrollment instead of closing the school.

And in any case, Young said, the city should do more to bring the largely immigrant parent population at PS 88 into the conversation about the potential closure.

“When we were outreaching, two out of three parents were unaware the school was closing,” he said.

The Education Department was initially planning to put the school closure to a vote during the April 28 meeting of the Panel for Educational Policy, which has to sign off on plans to shutter schools. But after complaints from parents and community organizers, and an inquiry from the Daily News, education officials agreed to push the vote back by a month.

“School planning changes are made in close coordination with the community, and in response to feedback, we are allowing for more time to engage with the District 9 community,” said education spokeswoman Katie O’Hanlon. “We will host multiple community meetings to discuss this proposal and continue to work in partnership with families, local stakeholders and school leaders to ensure any concerns are heard and addressed.”