Mayor Bloomberg says schools are overcrowded because they're too good. He's partially right. Good schools are frequently overcrowded. Of course, many seats in his new "small" schools go wanting, because who wants to go to a bad school with five new names?
Still, it's rough to get into the good schools, so what's a parent to do? According to the Post, they're getting very creative. Innovative parents include:
Working out of one of those bursting-at-the-seams schools, I can't say I'm surprised. However, the tactics of these parents suggest there are still a whole lot of undesirable schools around the city. It's remarkable no one seemed aware of this when Mayor Mike ran for re-election.* A Brooklyn mom who rents a phantom apartment to get her child into a high-performing school.
* A parent who uses a relative's address to sneak her child into a better school only two blocks from her zoned school.
* A mom who lives in a Chelsea housing project and uses a friend's address to get her youngest son into one of the city's best schools.
And these kids are trying to squeeze into sought-after schools that are already bursting at the seams and are fleeing schools that in many cases are half empty.
I'm certain that my school will become quite undesirable if Mayor Mike doesn't stop cramming it full of people. If we ever have a fire, everyone will know what he's doing.
I continue to hope against hope it doesn't come to that.
Thanks to Schoolgal.
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