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Away From My Desk

All out of desks, a Queens high school buys folding chairs

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The Academy of American Studies in Long Island City bought folding chairs to manage overcrowding.

There are no extra desks at a Queens high school where overcrowding has prompted the principal to buy folding chairs to accommodate students.

The Academy of American Studies, a selective high school in Long Island City, shares space with Newcomers High School, and leases a small building across the street.

“It looks like a deli,” said Mir Niaz, a tenth grade student at the Academy.

Niaz said last year’s incoming freshman class had 110 students, but this year’s class has 180, and the sudden increase has overwhelmed the already-cramped space the school has to work with. Now, some students have to sit in folding chairs, which they pull up next to their luckier classmates who have desks and share writing space.

“We got more freshmen than we expected this year,” said the school’s parent coordinator, Jean Mendler. “It’s a temporary solution.”

“It gets really annoying,” Niaz said of sharing desk space. “It really disturbs them and us.”

Students standing outside of the school said that in most of their classes, they were one of about 40 students, exceeding the 34-student limit for high school.

“There’s barely any walking space,” said Jasmin Kasumovic, who is in tenth grade.

The Academy is hardly alone in its struggle to find space for students. A preliminary class size report issued by the United Federation of Teachers shows that Queens high schools are the most overcrowded in the city. Of the 7,209 classes the union has identified as oversized, 4,093 are in Queens high schools.

There could be an upside to the crowding: Schools that see enrollment jumps also get mid-year increases in funding, which would mitigate the budget cuts that took place over the summer as well as cuts that could happen this school year.

The Department of Education has yet to respond to calls for comment — I’ll update when they do. The Academy’s principal, Ellen Sherman, did not return calls for comment.

  • http://www.classsizematters.org Leonie haimson

    what’s the upside, Anna, to classes of forty if the kids can’t learn and the teachers can’t teach?

  • Arthur Goldstein

    Keep it going, New York!

  • canwetalk

    As per the teachers’ contract, the school has until 9-22-09 to equalize the classes and cap them at them at 34 ( which is still too large a class if you want NCLB). If it still exceed the class size of 34 after that date, then more classes have to be created and ATRs must be hired to cover those newly created classes. Here’s an opportunity to place ATRs and reduce the class size to a manageable size where teachers can teach and children are able to learn.

  • Jeffrey Murphy

    Maybe everyone needs to stop being a baby and appreciate a free education in a Queens public school. Your making a fuss over something so minuscule, big deal if a student has to sit in a folding chair. I will sit on the floor as long as I’m receiving my education. The luxuries in life are not always there and the students are getting a taste of it, something just as important as getting an education in math or science. I also don’t understand how 6 more kids in a class can lead to halt in learning or teaching. If the teacher is doing their job and the kids are behaving, whats the problem? I don’t blame the principal for ignoring your calls I’m sure she hears a million complaints and question a day about the chairs and class sizes. The 180 new freshman will receive an education and high school experience unlike any other in Queens if not better, crowded or not, desk or no desk.

  • Mrs. Clarke

    I am presently looking for a High School for my son to attend Sept. 2010. I have heard only good things about the Academy of American Studies High School. I feel that if they were to run out of folding chairs. I wouldn’t mind if he had to sit on the floor just as long as he is getting a great education and attending a safe High School.

  • gall the anonyous

    I’m going to attend this high school this fall :)

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