Bronx Mom: A Reason for Crossing District Lines
Donya Rhett, PhD, aka “Bronx Mom,” is a frequent commenter on The InsideSCOOP. A resident of Morris Heights, she is the parent of a 10-year-old son and an (almost) 5- year-old daughter who both attend Central Park East 1. She also surveys the New York City public school scene as a clinical psychologist working in a school-based health center at a Harlem middle/high school campus. We’re pleased to welcome her contributions to The InsideSCOOP.
“Bronx Mom” is a bit of a misnomer. Yes, I am a mom. Yes, we live in the Bronx. And yet, I often feel very disconnected from my Morris Heights neighborhood because my children have only attended Harlem schools.
I tried to make an “educational home” in the Bronx six years ago when I first began searching for kindergarten for my son. Sadly, there were few choices in my district (10) that were accessible to us and would also be a good fit for my bright, very active child. Given the beliefs of some that families should stick with their zoned school, I thought I might shed some light as to why I, self-titled Bronx Mom, crossed district lines in search of the best fit.
Late last week I received an e-mail from the Department of Education that reminded me of one of a number of reasons for my decision to commute. As Insideschools reported Friday, the DOE and the Health Department jointly released their analysis of data from the 2007-2008 annual fitness assessment of NYC public school students in grades K-8. They note the positive relationship between physical fitness and academic performance. This report comes a year after former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion released his own report , which indicated that 23 percent of the 200 Bronx schools surveyed did not have a gymnasium at all. Twenty-two percent did not have any outdoor space for physical activity. And at schools that share a gym, 82 percent reported severe overcrowding in their phys ed classes.
In my search for optimal schools back in 2003, some years before the outcry from the borough president, I noticed that the few schools I thought to be a good fit academically were indeed lacking in basic resources including gyms and/or school yards. Although we live in the district that may be considered the best in the Bronx, we also live in one of the poorest congressional districts in the country, District 16. This means a lower tax base and fewer tax dollars to support the schools. The sorry state of physical education in the schools in my community is only one of a number of distressing reasons for looking outside of our zone.
It took some serious searching and a bit of luck, but we eventually found a home for my son and daughter at Central Park East 1. There, despite limited gym access due to the building being shared by three schools, the teachers and principal make sure that physical activity is a daily and meaningful event. That is just one of many things that makes CPE1 so special!
However, the school system has changed, making admissions to schools other than zoned schools a daunting task. So I wonder, for those who have not yet been fortunate enough to find that “good fit,” have you been able to bring about changes in your child’s school? How have parents compensated for shortfalls?
And please vote on the Insideschools poll this week about physical education at your child’s school.
Editor’s Note: The city’s school funding comes from a combination of city taxes, state and federal aid. In all cases, the boroughs and districts are treated as one unit so the poverty of a particular district is not directly related to public school funding.
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I too, a Bronx Mom (District 11), crossed district/borough lines to find a good fit for my daughter and myself. A good physical ed program did not rank on my list until now, as she enters kindergarten. She attended Prek 3 and Prek4 at a Upper west side catholic school. The curriculum was better than local, but they did not have a consistent physical ed program. Another reason I needed to crossover is because of my work hours. I paid TONS of money the past 2 years for this convenience, but academically, it was MORE than worth it. We are now in a charter school starting Fall 2009. I did not hear about CPE I and II until LONG after the application process and I’ve heard all good things.
Comment by AriannaFan — July 23, 2009 @ 12:48 pm
Actually gym instruction and daily activity is less a product of the district than the real estate and funding. My child goes to a good school in Manhattan that does not have a gym. Physical education is given in the cafeteria. Kids only get it once a week and all the supplies including balls are paid for by the PTA, because there isn’t enough money in the budget to cover that stuff. Upper grades have recess in the street because the yards are too small to accomodate everyone. There are schools in Queens, even in low-income areas that have huge facilities because the real estate allows for that. There is also the issue of funding. Most schools, regardless of the community, do not have the funds to hire more than one gym teacher. Many don’t have money to hire staff to allow for outdoor recess, so kids stay in for lunch. That’s really a shame and I’m sure undermines their ability to learn in the afternoon. There are certainly vast differences between the schools mentioned in the post and better schools across the city, but physical education seems to be the great equalizer. It’s lousy everywhere.
As for funding, I don’t think the district you live in determines how much the schools get. Funding is set by the city. Schools in the wealthiest areas in Manhattan, such as the UWS have low funding, but as we have seen from recent posts, parents raise money to keeps services reasonable.
Comment by Parent — July 23, 2009 @ 1:46 pm
My child’s elementary school has a large gym and a large playground. They barely use it. The kids are mostly kept inside to watch movies during lunch. I have asked the principal about it over the years as I have very active children. I have been told by the principal that she believes activity at lunch makes the children wilder and even when they are allowed out they usually just sit on the ground while the aides talk. Gym is also frequently cancelled whenever there is a book fair (3 day event, set up, take down days), picture day or any other activity they can think of. And of course there is no gym when the gym teacher is absent. The low priority of physical education has very little to do with the facilities as I have heard of schools that have no facilities incorporating lots of movement. Schools that believe in physical education will find a way for the students to have it.
Comment by queensparent — July 23, 2009 @ 6:18 pm
I think most schools do not give students adequate physical education at all, even when they have gyms and playgrounds, which is terrible. Some parents may not think that gyms or playgrounds are important, but they are. We have an obesity epidemic in our nation, and the problem starts in childhood. Lack of exercise at home and in the playground after school means these kids need to get it at school, like most of us did when we were growing up.
This is a city, and many neighborhoods do not have a park or playground near their homes for children to play in. More children are staying home playing video games. If this lack of comprehension (by parents, students, school administrators and government) to how important physical education is to kids continues, America’s health is going to be at much bigger risk.
Comment by Maria — July 25, 2009 @ 1:44 am