The Big Fix › School Profiles
A year inside three struggling New York City high schools as they work to serve their students better. This project is a collaboration between GothamSchools, WNYC, and Big Apple Ed.
Chelsea Career and Technical Education High School
Just about half the students at Chelsea Career and Technical High School graduate on time. Yet, that’s an improvement from 2007, when less than a third finished high school in four years. Students and teachers say the school’s environment has also become much calmer. Kids no longer roam the halls, and there’s no graffiti. They credit Principal Brian Rosenbloom with restoring order when he took over in 2008.
When Rosenbloom arrived, he says only about 25 percent of freshmen were earning the recommended 10-plus credits. Last year more than 80 percent of freshmen were on track to move ahead, and more students were taking and passing their Regents exams. The city let Rosenbloom remain in his job when Chelsea became a “transformation” school. The school is receiving a federal school improvement grant worth almost $1 million for each of the next three years. Rosenbloom has proposed using the money to extend the school day, add more Saturday classes, and to bring in two outside groups that will train his teachers. He’s also planning to take his seniors on a field trip to college campuses in Washington, DC.
District:2
Type: Public
Grades: 9-12
Principal:Brian Rosenbloom
Address:131 Avenue of the Americas Manhattan, NY 10013
Phone:212-925-1080
Estimated Enrollment 2010-11
550
Avg. Class Size 2010-11
27-28
Progress Report Grade 2009-10
C
Budget
School funding is largely contingent on student enrollment. The schools we’re profiling have had declining enrollments, at a time when the city has also been cutting its education budget. Chelsea’s enrollment fell from over 700 students in recent years to an estimated 550 students this fall, because a small new high school moved into its top floor. The budget figure for 2010-11 was set over the summer before the school received the extra federal funds. Chelsea’s principal says he has to give some of that money back so his final budget will be closer to $4 million. Therefore, the extra $959,000 from the federal government is about a 25 percent increase. Per-pupil spending includes meals, transportation, pension and other city expenses principals don’t control. It’s also an average – special education students can cost twice as much. If you add the new federal money and divide by 550 students, then the federal grant results in an extra $1744 per pupil spending on average.
Federal School Improvement Grant
$959k
Read more about the School Improvement Grants.
Budget Principal Controls 2010-11
(before grant)
$4,627,276
Avg. spending per General Ed Student 2008-09
(includes all other city spending)
$15,231
2009-10
$5,417,591
2007-08
$7,696,144
2008-09
$6,885,143
2006-07
$7,441,892
News Stories
Latest Story - February 26th, 2013
Rise & Shine: As bus company folds, matrons find new work
Matrons who lost their jobs during the school bus strike found new positions with new companies. (Post)
A scathing review of the UFT Charter School found many problems. (GothamSchools, Post, Schoolbook)
In India, school-aged children work in squalid conditions instead of going to school. (Times)
High school dropouts cost the country $1.8 billion annually, a new report finds. (AP [...]
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- › Rise & Shine: As bus company folds, matrons find new work Read
- › Staff at Chelsea High School say new investments have paid off Read
- › Cuomo highlights progress made under Chelsea high school Read
- › City receives $19.8 mill. for 11 schools it hopes to “transform” Read
- › One principal’s “war board” strategy to get to graduation Read
Recent Stories on Chelsea Career and Technical Education High School
- › As closure looms, Columbus teachers plan curriculum revamp Read
- › At Grady, transformation funds change school’s look and feel Read
- › At mostly male Grady High School, top graduates are women Read
- › Staff at Chelsea High School say new investments have paid off Read
- › After night schools faded, Bronx high school opened its own Read
The Big Fix
Gotham Schools
Academic Achievement
Graduation rates are based on students earning their diplomas in four years and graduating in June, not August. At Chelsea, the on-time graduation rate was 49.7 percent in 2008-09. It was 50 percent in 2007-08, and 31.5 percent in 2006-07.
Demographics
Demographic data is based on the 2009-2010 Quality Review Report by the DOE unless otherwise noted.
The school population comprises 35% Black, 59% Hispanic, 2% White, and 4% Asian students. The student body includes 5% English language learners and 10% special education students. Boys account for 65% of the students enrolled and girls account for 35%.
Percentage Male 2009-10
65%
Percentage Female 2009-10
35%
Limited Eng Proficiency 2010-11
8%
Receiving Public Assistance 2010-11
71-80%
Free or Reduced Lunch 2008-09
86%
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Copyright Notice
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.