It's Queens Magazine
The meeting came as a result of Newtown High School being named one of 34 New York City high schools considered underperforming. The list of schools was released earlier this month by the state. Newtown was included on the list because it has not met the state’s minimum graduation requirement of 60 percent over the past three years.
“Newtown has been an incredibly important institution in our community for years,” Monserrate said. “When I heard they were included in the (Education Department’s) list, I knew we needed to find a way to turn this around.”
The state has provided Department of Education and city officials with four options to improve student development. The first option would involve firing the school’s principal along with half of the teachers currently employed in order to implement a new learning system.
The second option would be to turn Newtown into a charter school that would serve the students already enrolled, as well as any new students who wished to enroll. The third option would be to replace the principal and provide the staff with tutoring and training in order to help them better serve the students. The final option would be to completely shut down the school, placing current students in various schools throughout the district.
“The fourth option is not an option,” Newtown graduate Eddie Erneta said. “Newtown tower is an icon in this city. This school goes beyond an institute of education.”
State officials have not set a deadline in which a decision must be made, but DOE Superintendent Francesca Pena promised that the school would be open for the beginning of the 2010 school year.
Two other Queens schools on the state board’s list, Jamaica High School and Beach Channel High School in Rockaway Park, have already been named as schools that will be closed due to low performance ratings.
“The difference here is that we will not wait until there is a vote to close the school to decide to have a meeting,” Monserrate said. “We are going to be proactive in our approach.”
One of the major obstacles Newtown faces in its attempts to improve its graduation rate is the amount of students who speak English as a second language. According to school statistics, a total of 59 different languages are spoken by the student body.
“Bringing together students who speak different languages is the biggest problem in education,” Pena said. “This population of students is much more difficult to graduate but regardless, we are required to graduate all students in four years.”
There is a chance that Newtown may be removed from the list after the Department of Education evaluates the data from the 2009-10 school year. Dramatically improving the graduation rate in the class of 2010 would be the only way that Newtown would avoid having to engage in one of the options given by the board.
“We can’t settle for the 60 percent mark given by the board,” Erneta said. “We must strive for 70, 80 and 90 percent.”
Newtown teacher Marynes Huerta put the responsibility on the student body.
“We are here today because the students are not graduating,” Huerta said. “Students, please study. This is for you and your journey in success.”
Newtown graduate and current principal John Ficalora extended that responsibility to the parents.
“We need parents to help our children succeed,” Ficalora said. “With parents and schools working together for the sake of their child we can do miracles.”
Monserrate said that a number of meetings will take place in the upcoming months between school, city, and state officials, but the community will have a chance to be heard before the process is complete.
“We might ask all of you to come back to a meeting or rally in the near future.” Monserrate said. “But we will meet again to see what you have say.”
The 113-year-old school’s notable alumni include Kiss guitarist Gene Simmon, Mets General Manager Omar Minaya, and former NBA player Smush Parker.
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