Expansion Announced for P.S. 8 in Brooklyn Heights

Brooklyn Heights’ public elementary school, PS 8, which had recently started to become a victim of its own success, with overcrowding threatening to hurt the impressive turnaround the school has undergone in recent years, got some good news yesterday. Schools Chancellor Klein stepped up to the plate yesterday and announced that the School Construction Authority would build an annex to the school in its rear lot that could be ready as soon as Fall 2011. The new building would increase the school’s capacity roughly 30%, from the current level of 500 to about 650 students.

“The PS 8 Annex is great news for PS 8 and for its broader school community,” Chancellor Klein said. “The annex will allow PS 8, which has grown in success and popularity in recent years, to continue growing, providing more children with the top-notch elementary education they need and deserve.” Councilman David Yassky got a special shout-out from Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm for his work in bringing about the new addition. Click through for the full press release.
P.S. 8 To Get New Building [Brooklyn Eagle] GMAP
Chancellor Joel Klein Discusses Brooklyn Schools [Brownstoner]

CHANCELLOR KLEIN ANNOUNCES PLAN TO BUILD AN ANNEX AT PS8 IN BROOKLYN.

Annex Will Create New Classrooms and Alleviate Overcrowding

Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein today announced plans to build an annex at PS 8 in Brooklyn. The annex will give the school additional capacity, alleviating overcrowding at the Brooklyn Heights elementary school. The School Construction Authority (SCA), which will oversee the project, will scope out the work and design the annex in the next year before it seeks bids for the construction of the facility. The Department of Education expects that the annex will open in September 2011.

At the announcement, Chancellor Klein was joined by Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott, Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm, Chief Family Engagement Officer Martine Guerrier, SCA President Sharon Greenberger, Department of City Planning Director Purnima Kapur, PS 8 Principal Seth Phillips, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Councilman David Yassky, State Assemblywoman Joan Millman, State Senator Martin Connor, PTA co-President Tim Eldridge, Superintendent James Machen, PS 8 Assistant Principal Robert Mikos, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership President Joe Chan, Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Deputy Director Nancy Webster, and Community Education Council representatives for School District 13.

“The PS 8 Annex is great news for PS 8 and for its broader school community,” Chancellor Klein said. “The annex will allow PS 8, which has grown in success and popularity in recent years, to continue growing, providing more children with the top-notch elementary education they need and deserve.”

“Building an annex to PS 8 is an example of how the City is responding to the needs of school communities with increasing enrollment,” Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott said. “The fact that student performance is improving and enrollment is growing at PS 8 is an indication that our Children First reforms are working.”

“We recognized that this school is overcrowded and we have worked with the community and Councilman David Yassky to come up with a solution,” Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm said.

“In past years, we focused our school construction on a district-wide level, and now we are looking at pockets of overcrowding in neighborhoods and this is one school that fits the bill,” SCA President Sharon Greenberger said. “We see a seat need in the area and we are addressing it.”

“The construction of the annex is a culmination of the joint effort between Department of Education staff, parent leaders past and present, elected officials, and a supportive local community,” Chief Family Engagement Officer Martine Guerrier said.

“I want to thank Chancellor Klein, Deputy Mayor Walcott, Deputy Chancellor Grimm, SCA President Greenberger, Borough President Markowitz, Councilman Yassky, Assemblywoman Millman the PTA, the CEC and local business groups for working collaboratively to come up with a way to alleviate overcrowding in the school,” PS 8 Principal Seth Phillips said. “We look forward to a new addition to accommodate our growing enrollment.”

“PS 8 has been an incredible Brooklyn success story-attracting new students in record numbers and vastly improving the quality of education for students in Brooklyn Heights-but that success has placed a greater demand on available space and resources,” Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said. “That’s why I applaud the Department of Education for providing for an annex and giving students and staff an environment that promotes learning.”

“PS 8 has gone from a poor-performing school to a powerhouse, and enrollment interest has skyrocketed,” Councilman David Yassky said. “We have to recognize the tremendous amount of work done by the parents and administration of PS 8 to make this a first-rate school. If we have great schools but it takes a miracle to get in, we haven’t really advanced our core mission. What we’re trying to do today is make a PS 8 education available to as many of our kids as possible to make sure that this school can serve the community that saved it.”

“I am pleased that the Department of Education has acknowledged the enormous need for additional classroom space at PS 8,” State Assemblywoman Joan Millman said. “Thanks to the hard work of the educational team under the leadership of Principal Seth Phillips, more neighborhood families are choosing to send their children to PS 8.”

“Thank you, Chancellor Klein for your commitment to building an annex for PS 8, State Senator Martin Connor said. “This school is a great success story in the heart of Brooklyn Heights. I applaud the students, teachers, and parents for doing a great job and working together to create a nurturing and supportive atmosphere, where test scores have improved and where our kids really learn.”

“Success and growth usually go hand-in-hand, and it’s no different in PS 8’s case,” PS 8 PTA co-president Tim Eldridge said. “More and more parents in our community want their children to go to PS 8, thanks to its well-deserved, excellent reputation. I’m sure most of them will be pleased to learn that the City is investing in expanded teaching space and enhancements to the facilities available for their children.”

The Department of Education will fund the design work for the annex to PS 8 in the current Capital Plan and will include funding for the construction in the next Capital Plan, which begins in July 2009. The current Five-Year Capital Plan is in its last year and will create 63,000 new seats throughout the City. For the next Five-Year Capital Plan, which will be made public in November, the Department of Education plans to look at the potential need for school construction based on demographic patterns within districts and the accessibility of existing schools.