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.<!--more-->

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.