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Volume XIX • Number 24 • June 28 - July 4, 2012 •
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Budget woes force music cuts at P.S. 24 By MIAWLING LAM P.S. 24 has fired both of its music teachers and has been forced to shut down its music department in order to balance its bare-bones operating budget. The Riverdale Review can reveal three staff members, including two music teachers, were excessed on Friday, June 15, placing the school’s rich music curriculum in jeopardy. If the downsizing strategy proceeds as planned, the school will also be required to hand back dozens of instruments provided through the Music and the Brain program and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. The MATB program currently supplies students in grades K through 2 with dozens of keyboards, while VH1 supplies pupils in grades 3 through 5 with a range of woodwind instruments. P.S. 24 interim acting assistant principal Emanuele “Manny” Verdi confirmed the news during a public school tour last Wednesday. “We had three teachers coming back who had seniority, and so we had to excess three people,” he said, adding that the other departing staff member was a Common Branch instructor. “We let go of two of our music teachers. It’s not definite that they’re definitely not going to be back next year, but the structure of the budget is that we don’t fire people—they’re excessed. “It’s not a step that we took lightly, but the difficulty is that you’re going to lose something, and we had some amazingly great young teachers in the school and it’s really hard to let go of a really amazing classroom teacher.” According to the Department of Education, teachers are often excessed due to budgetary constraints, declining enrollment or seniority of certification. Affected teachers are then placed in a reserve pool assigned to schools in District 10 and must fight over any openings in other schools. It is understood the instrumental teacher has been employed at P.S. 24 for around five years, while the vocal teacher, who used to teach at M.S/H.S 141, has been on staff for two years. The Review has learned Tweed
officials also provided the school with a budget based on 32 students per class across all grades and that because P.S. 24 administrators wanted to reduce class sizes, they made the decision to cut their music program. Despite the concerns of the community, Verdi remained upbeat and stressed that students will continue to receive music instruction. Efforts are being made to restore at least one of the music instructor positions, he said. The school’s existing partnerships with the New York Philharmonic, Little Orchestra Society and Young Composers will remain to help students with music enrichment and appreciation. Verdi said officials targeted the music curriculum because the school had a glut of music in-
struction—more than many other elementary schools in the city. “I will defy anyone to find an elementary school that has as much music in it as this school,” he said. “There will still be music here at P.S. 24. It’s not just going to be in the way that it’s been done.” News that the music program was being abolished first emerged last week after the Riverdale Review received phone calls and letters from several anxious parents and staff at the school. A person at the school, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said students would lose two incredibly talented music teachers. “It’s such a shame,” the source said. “Once a program is shut down like that, they can’t open it for another year and you can’t hire substitute teachers.” Verdi also revealed that five
kindergarten paraprofessionals—staff who assist classroom teachers—have been fired so that officials can remain in the black on their budget. “Statistically, it’s the same amount of amount of money, but in reality, it’s not,” he said. “Teachers and staff people’s salaries go up every year, so the same amount of money does not pay for the same amount of services.” Meanwhile, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz was concerned about the downsizing operation and said his office received “a few calls and emails” from concerned parents. “It’s very upsetting that P.S. 24 is losing their music program because of the city’s policies. I just don’t think the (Bloomberg) administration has made it a priority that schools continue to have a music program.”
Dinowitz was particularly aggrieved as the state Legislature battled to successfully stave off budget cuts. “The state increased education funding by 4 percent, but it seems to me that some of our schools are getting shortchanged,” he said. “Why aren’t some of our schools receiving more money than they’re receiving? Our schools and the children in our schools are suffering, and I don’t believe the city properly prioritizes how they spend money.” According to the DOE’s 20102011 Annual Arts in Schools Report, P.S. 24 students in grades 1 through 5 received an average of 31 to 40 hours of music instruction by school-based music teachers and an additional 11 to 20 hours from arts and cultural organizations.
Light turnout for primary day
By PAULETTE SCHNEIDER Thousands of Bronx voters headed to the polls on Tuesday to cast their ballots in an unusually timed primary election. Constituents in Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil, Wakefield, Woodlawn and Co-op City had a chance to influence leadership of the newly-drawn 16th Congressional District as voters in Kingsbridge, Norwood and Marble Hill weighed in on the 13th CD. As of press time, no results could be reported. By around noon, voters were trickling into the cafeteria at the Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy, a 16th Congressional District polling site. Incumbent Congressman Eliot Engel likely did not need to gird his loins in a tough battle against his opponent, former Bronx assistant district attorney and teacher Aniello A.M. Grimaldi, in the Democrat race. “In a presidential election at this time, we’d have a couple of hundred,” said polling site coordinator Joseph Gordon, who estimated that around 10 percent of the usual voters would turn out. “It’s very light at this point in
the day,” agreed fellow coordinator Patricia E. Brink. School was not in session, so the atmosphere was calmer than in past primaries when election activities competed with noisy school lunch operations, she said. A full staff of trained election staff—two coordinators, pairs of assistants at each of seven tables and two information assistants manning a reception desk—were all poised to aid constituents, many of whom were elderly and unfamiliar with the setup. Both coordinators agreed that there were not burning issues but that voter turnout was a result of a failure to publicize the election. “There’s just apathy about voting,” Gordon said. And when voters do show up, “they go by name recognition, not even necessarily what each candidate represents.” But even without a contentious race, “This is the United States, and people should take advantage” of the opportunity to participate in elections, Brink said. “In other countries, they can’t vote. This is a great thing.” Shortly after 11 a.m., neighContinued on Page 12
Patricia Engel accompanies her husband, Cong. Eliot Engel as they cast their ballot in Tuesday’s primary election.