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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 315-03
November 3, 2003

MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG AND SCHOOLS CHANCELLOR JOEL I. KLEIN PROPOSE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S $13.1 BILLION FIVE-YEAR CAPITAL PLAN

Plan Driven by Needs of City's Children and Focuses on Restructuring and Supporting Struggling Schools, Alleviating Overcrowding, and Upgrading Existing Facilities

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein today proposed the Department of Education’s $13.1 billion Five-Year Capital Plan.  The Plan supports ongoing Children First initiatives to bring excellence, equity, and accountability to every school in the system and provides for the capital expenditures and investments necessary to upgrade and maintain school buildings. Approximately one-third of the funds proposed is allocated toward restructuring and improvement of the City schools that are struggling the most.  Another third is directed toward alleviating capacity constraints through the creation of 76 new school buildings adding a total of 63,000 classroom seats.  The final third will be used for capital improvement projects in schools throughout the system. Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein made the announcement at P.S. 234 in Long Island City, Queens where they were joined by School Construction Authority President Bill Goldstein and Deputy Chancellor of Finance and Administration Kathleen Grimm.

“This Plan goes beyond the usual bricks and mortar of past capital plans and focuses directly on the urgent needs of the City’s children,” said Mayor Bloomberg.  “Over the past year, we have dedicated ourselves to transforming our public schools into first rate educational institutions.  Now we have aligned our capital-planning program with the rest of our reform agenda.  We are determined, not just to throw dollars at problems, but to get the most and best for our children.”

The Plan calls for half of the $13.1 billion to come from the State of New York in conjunction with the landmark Campaign for Fiscal Equity case. In that case the New York Court of Appeals found that the State must ensure that every school in New York City has the resources necessary for providing a “sound, basic education.”

“For too long, many of New York City’s schoolchildren have been denied the opportunity to learn in a quality classroom setting,” said Chancellor Klein.  “Our new Capital Plan will help ensure that this injustice no longer occurs.  State funds are essential to correct the generations-long imbalance between the needs of our children and the resources provided to our schools.  With the resolution of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity case, we expect children of this City finally to receive appropriate resources from the State.”

Restructuring Current Schools Space

In order to improve and restructure the City’s lowest performing schools, the Capital Plan dedicates $4.6 billion for investment in three areas.

First, the Plan designates funds for School Improvement and Restructuring Allocations (“SIRA’s”).  These allocations will support instructional improvement and academic achievement through the reconfiguration of our school buildings. Under the Plan, over 600 struggling schools will be restructured to create academically rigorous schools that will raise student achievement.  In many cases, large buildings will be restructured to house several smaller, autonomous schools, all operating under the same roof.

Second, the Plan provides for the creation of 50 charter schools, over the next three to five years, as well as additional new schools created in partnership with colleges and universities, non-profit organizations, and cultural institutions.  These new schools will widen the variety of school options available for New York City public school children.   

Third, to support the changes being made to improve education in the City’s lowest performing schools, the Capital Plan includes specialized capital investments that are essential to the provision of a sound basic education.  These specialized investments will support school curricula and classroom instruction with computer technology, safety, and other educational enhancements, including much-needed science laboratory upgrades.

Creating New Classroom Seats

The New Capacity Program of the Plan will address overcrowding with a $4 billion investment in 76 new buildings citywide, adding a total of 63,000 classroom seats. This will include 11 small primary schools (grades K-3), 49 regular primary/intermediate schools (many of which will be grades K-8) and 16 Intermediate/High Schools (many of which will be grades 6-12). The New Capacity Program will enable the Department to reduce and ultimately remove all Transportable Classroom Units, expand the class-size reduction initiative to all Kindergarten through third grade classes, and alleviate high school overcrowding and split sessions. 

Capital Improvement

Finally, the Plan allocates $4.5 billion for Capital Improvement Projects that are needed to repair and upgrade old and deteriorating school buildings so that they can be more effectively utilized.  Projects include exterior and interior building upgrades and other necessary repairs and maintenance. To design and formulate its Capital Plan, the Department undertook a ten-year needs assessment. The Plan was prepared under the supervision of Deputy Chancellor Grimm and SCA President Goldstein.

The proposed Five-Year Capital Plan is being submitted to each of the current Community School Boards. The Boards may conduct public hearings on the Plan and make recommendations to the Department before January 1, 2004. The Department also will conduct additional briefings and discussions with elected officials, advocates, community members, and Community School Boards in order to solicit community input on the proposed Plan. The Plan will be submitted to the Panel for Educational Policy for review and approval, and then will be submitted to the City Council as part of the Mayor’s Capital Budget. The new Five-Year Capital Plan will go into effect at the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, 2004.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Edward Skyler / Robert Lawson   (212) 788-2958

Jerry Russo   (DOE)
(212) 374-5141




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