Long lines at supplementary round high school fair
 |
While thousands of parents and students showed up at the supplementary round high school fair on Tuesday, many of the schools on the Department of Education list of available seats were not represented. We asked a few schools how many seats they actually have available. This is what they reported:
-The new, long-awaited Sunset Park High School has 25 seats left.
- The new, selective Cinema High School has only filled 15 out of their 80 seats. They will not hold another audition for applicants but will instead consider grades and test scores. The principal said they would look at applications with fresh eyes, so students who applied in the first round and didn’t get a seat at Cinema can apply again.
- The acclaimed Dual Language and Asian Studies High School has only 10 unfilled seats.
- Manhattan Business Academy has 58 seats left.
Some families at the fair were hopeful that they would get a good match in the second round, others remained very angry. Several families protested the process outside, refusing to enter the building.
A family from the Bronx said their son has good grades, but his middle school counselor “isn’t competent at all.” They described the process as “disappointing. It’s a public education- why all the rejection?”
Families have until Friday, April 3 to hand in new applications to their school’s guidance counselor. Those unhappy with the match they get in this round may appeal.
Subscribe to 
I went to the high school fair for the secondary round and there were only 3 new schools in Manhattan: 2 of them are in the MKL building, and 1 in Brandies - and the Brandies students are going to remain in the school, so if your child picks that school he/she would be going to school with 10, 11 & 12 graders from Brandies - a school that was suppose to be closed 2 years ago. Also my older son, who goes to a school near MLK said if I sent my son there he would not live to graduate _ he said “Mom do you know what they would do to a kid like Kris,” he’s a 5′2 small kid, who isn’t use to dealing with gangs, etc. So no he will not be going to any of the new schools in the city and I wish the DOE would stop saying there are all these new schools because there is not one new school for kids that have an “A” average and are serious students that would like a school they could go to and actually prosper and graduate from.
Comment by Sherri, a Wagner Parent — April 1, 2009 @ 6:49 pm