Sources tell GerritsenBeach.net that the Hebrew Language Academy has agreed NOT to use IS 278 as their temporary location. Details are still coming in, but sources claim that our own State Senator Marty Golden played “a significant role” in the negotiations with HLA, who are reportedly looking for an alternate location, possibly in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Brooklyn. Phone lines are lighting up all over Brooklyn, including mine! More news to come!
Here is a statement from our councilman Lew Fidler:
WE WON FROM COUNCILMAN FIDLER
Dear Friend of IS 278,
it is my great pleasure to inform you that I have just received official word that the HLA is withdrawing its request to be sited at IS 278. Assemblyman Maisel has just received the same call.
I do not yet have word from DOE as to our hopes and dreams for a Performing Arts School. We will continue to press forward on that front.
Nonetheless, it is truly a wonderful victory. There will be no charter school shoved down this community’s throat for IS 278.
I want to thank and congratulate all who stepped forward at IS 278, the PA of all our local schools, the Marine Park Civic and Greg Borruso, the Madison Marine Civic, and my colleagues in government who stood with us: Comptroller Bill Thompson, Assemblyman Alan Maisel, State Snator Marty Golden, Congressman Anthony Weiner, State Senator Carl Kruger.
We should always remember that when we stand together united as neighbors, involved in our community, we can accomplish great things!
Sincerely (and a little giddy-happy),
Councilman Lew Fidler
This community is powerful.
If the school is considering opening in a Catholic School building that has closed, then this seems appropriate. Too bad this option didn’t come up sooner.
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Thanks so much for the tremendous role you had in the success of the community’s efforts. This website helped to spread the word and give us access to each other. Look what we can do when we work together!!
Let’s open the dialogue about what we want for the future of our school.
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@LQuinlan,
Can we still march on Sunday? I made signs!!
I jest.
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@Anon, I don’t think you jest! Maybe we should? Who knows what the DoE has instore?
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We just posted a story about the situation, which includes details about how the IS 278 building might be used in the future.
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@GothamSchools,
Fantastic website you have there!
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@GothamSchools, just read the article. I think we need to be careful with the DoE placing a high school within a middle school. Yesterday they placed a High School in IS 211. This high school houses all the 22 year olds that cannot make it out of school and that their parole states they need to be enrolled in schools. (I might be exaggerating a wee bit).
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@josephine,
I think as long as the highschool is run as well as the middle school then that most likely wouldn’t be an issue. Not to say that you didn’t raise a good point.
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@Mjolnir, Josephine raises an important issue. Even at the Town Hall, the high school that John White described did not sound like the high shool we requested. It was also never said that it would be a 6-12 which would have the same administration. Ms. Garofalo was only mentioned as developing the school, not running the whole show. The best model for the school would be one cohesive entity administered by one principal but I doubt that’s what we’ll get.
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@LQuinlan,
Are there any 6-12 schools that have one adminstration? What is the precedent there? Clearly the current success of the middle school would warrant continuity.
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@Tom McCormick, I’m investigating this right now. According to some sources at the DOE, it’s done both ways but I’m looking for facts and figures. I’ll let you know what I find out.
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John White and the DOE want to put a seperate High School into the building not a 6-12 ran by Ms. Garofolo. Also I am sure we pissed off some people at the DOE, and they will be looking at a way to stick it to us. It is important that we get a 6-12 school for the current and future students of IS278, not a seperate high school that anyone in district 22 or even through regular high school admissions can apply to. This can only work if we continue to stand up as a community and fight for our children and neighborhood. Also we must continue to encourage the children of this neighborhood to go to IS278 and not other surrounding schools. This would bring up the number of neighborhood children attending the school with less busing in and allow for the enrollment numbers that are needed for a 6-12 high school. Moving forward based on the number of seats in the building the incoming classes would go down from about 300 to 200, which if filled to capacity would give you 1400 students in the building from grades 6-12. Let us remember that we won the battle but not yet the war. And show the DOE that our children our the Jewels of the educational system as well, because the last time I checked most of us are products of the old and better ran public education system and we turn out pretty good.
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@, I could not have said it better! We need to take back our schools and our community! the DoE did enough damage in this district.
The thing that interests me is that it seems that many middle schools throughout the city are underutilized. I thought that was a trend set up by joel klein and dictator mike. It seemed that citywide they were reducing class sizes in middle schools. Why is it that IS 278 cannot share in that? Why shouldn’t we have smaller class sizes without the fear of retribution from the DoE?
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@josephine, Because it seems there has been a trend to push out the hard working tax paying middle class Americans. The reality is that DOE focuses on the negativity in the schools rather than the positive. I, Myself have been employed by the DOE for the last 14 years in the high schools and the school I am currently employed Murrow HS which is one of the few performing arts schools in the neighborhood is losing 2 million in Budget Cuts next year. Yet our tax dollars can afford to fund charter schools, something doesn’t make sense. We need more specialized programs in the area that our neighborhood children can attend that work on their individual talents. I really wish that things would go back to the way they used to and you had to attend the schools in your neighborhood , isn’t that why we buy houses in perticular neighborhoods cause that is were we want our children to attend those schools. If I am wrong I will be happy to admit it but I find it very interesting where as the community came together on Tuesday night, where were all the children and their families that come into the neighborhood via public transportation, it is their school to isn’t it or many not who knows?
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@,
The city has been broadcasting that message for sometime. The people who play by the rules and foot the bills for this city need not expect a fair shake. The D.o.E. showed us this by trying to insert the HLA in our back yard. The more the city reinforces that sentiment the more hard working, tax paying, law abiding families will leave. Many have already done so. That void seems be back filled by those who have another agenda. With fewer and fewer familes who do the right thing staying in the city the share that each of us who remain that has to pay increases. That increases the burden on us and leaves most of the city’s departments hurting for funds. Instead of squeezing more out of the working class the city should go after those who skirt their responsibiliteis. Soon there will be noone left to keep the city afloat.
Anon, you are right, I stayed in this neighborhood for many reasons and having a great public school like P.S. 277 here was definitely one of them. I attended P.S. 277 as a child and looking back saw no problem with the old system. Why the need for the changes? I guess politics takes a front seat to education. Maybe the D.o.E. should take a page out of our very successful play book rather than trying to had us their ever failing plan for the schools.
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Now we should vote out the same politicans that put this community in the position we where in. Thank you Marty Golden. VOTE NO AND VOTE OUT FILDER AND BLOOMBERG.
SEE Maisel is voting yes on the gay marriage. what a great community representative we have.
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Dear Charlie,
The name is Fidler. What’s yours? Where do you live since you OBVIOUSLY haven’t been following the scorecard on this one. Suggest you go to the videotape.
No one is stupid enough to confuse me with Bloomberg.
Even dolts like this cannot take the glee out of this big win for all of us.
Lew from Brooklyn
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@Lew from Brooklyn, Don’t worry Lew, we know you’ve got our backs. It didn’t begin with this issue and it doesn’t end here. You and your staff have always been there for us. Sorry if we don’t let you know how much we appreciate your support, not just on this issue but in the many ways you’ve come through for us before.
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@Lew from Brooklyn,
Charlie,
Let’s keep the discussion on the positive success of this community. As far a politics go, politicians don’t come taylor made. We need to pick our battles and I will continue to pick the battles that will actually affect me and my family directly. The HLA issue was such a battle and thank you to everyone who was a part of this success, from every child and parent who held up a sign last Tuesday to the politicians who lent their weight to our cause and those who organized the neighborhoods into one voice. Well done.
Lew,
In a previous comment of an earlier post on the HLA subject I had written a less than positive remark about you. I would take this oportunity to withdraw that remark. I have watched and listened to you over the past weeks and you have convinced me that you do have this community’s best interest at heart. Thank you.
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Thank you.
Your words and the many kind words I have gotten on line, at the Good Shepherd dinner, just walking around the neighborhood, have put some added pep in my step. Doing the right thing always makes one feel better. Winning when doing so makes one feel great.
We ALL had a tremendous victory here.
Onward and upward.
Lew from Brooklyn
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@charlie,
After reading your comment Charlie, I wanted to correct the inaccurate “facts” that you have presented to us. First of all, it was Lew Fidler & Alan Maisel who received calls from HLA yesterday, saying that they were going to withdraw their request to go to IS 278. According to the post and your comment(Charlie) HLA seems to have contacted Golden when HLA refused to call Golden. Fidler and Maisel have been fighting this since it was discovered that HLA was targeting 278. Giving credit to the right people is the righteous thing to do. Theres a great email from Lew that’s going around; he wrote it himself. It would be magnificent to see that email posted here too!
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@Mary B., Here it is as I found it in my email yesterday:
Dear Friend of IS 278,
it is my great pleasure to inform you that I have just received official word that the HLA is withdrawing its request to be sited at IS 278. Assemblyman Maisel has just received the same call.
I do not yet have word from DOE as to our hopes and dreams for a Performing Arts School. We will continue to press forward on that front.
Nonetheless, it is truly a wonderful victory. There will be no charter school shoved down this community’s throat for IS 278.
I want to thank and congratulate all who stepped forward at IS 278, the PA of all our local schools, the Marine Park Civic and Greg Borruso, the Madison Marine Civic, and my colleagues in government who stood with us: Comptroller Bill Thompson, Assemblyman Alan Maisel, State Snator Marty Golden, Congressman Anthony Weiner, State Senator Carl Kruger.
We should always remember that when we stand together united as neighbors, involved in our community, we can accomplish great things!
Sincerely (and a little giddy-happy),
Councilman Lew Fidler
And I can honestly add: We’re giddy-delirious, Lew!
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And so, the scramble for credit begins… EVERYONE worked hard, Mary B. It’s not about who did what, it’s about COMMUNITY. Who cares who gets what credit for whatever, the community got it done.
It’s crap like this that makes me sick… What does it matter? Oh yeah, election year… I forgot.
Keep politics out of this major community victory!
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MJOLNIR 1 HLA 0
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@Mjolnir, Are you making the T-shirts?
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@LQuinlan,
I will go on Caffe Press and look into it. At this point though I am torn as I am very proud of this community but now I do not know if I feel comfortable gloating. We have our victory, do we need to wear it on our shirts like I originally suggested? I don’t know. Call it Catholic Guilt. If there seems to be a big demand for them maybe I will. Everyone please post further with your opinion regarding this matter.
Please understand that my above comment was intended as light hearted humor, ( I stole the line from Mr. T. LOL) The line should have read,
District 22 1 HLA 0. We all did this together.
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@Mjolnir, No shirts necessary. We’ve got all we need for now. I wish HLA good luck wherever they end up but I still do not believe in their mission.
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I attended a dinner last night, May 28th, at which Mayor Bloomberg and others spoke, I’m not being patronizing when I express my belief that Senator Marty Golden made the most sense and by far the best speech. He and Tonto, promised a call when it was confirmed the HLA would not be in I.S. 278. True to their word, Anthony Testaverdes left a message of confirmation. I would like to join with those who compliment this website for the important role it played in communicating the concerns of the community. We must continually remind the people we have elected, what it is we want, and what it is we don’t. If not, they will succumb to voting in politically expedient ways. Has anyone made it known to Alan Maisel that the majority of his constituency is opposed to same sex marriage? If not, then he may be in for a rude awakening next election! Last, but not least, there are several parents who gave of their time and energy collecting signatures on petitions., among other things. If you know anyone of them, be sure to thank them. Especially, LQuinlan.
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@George Broadhead,
I am with you on congrats to LQuinlan — who is a fellow “sista” of mine and played a major role in coordinating this effort! Golden, Maisel and Fidler were all behind us from the beginning and Weiner came in a a bit later — I believe that your comments on Maisel re: the same-sex marriage issue are narrow-minded and should NOT be placed with this HLA issue!
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@Mardie, What’s next, sista?
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@George Broadhead, Thank you for your kind remarks. The possibilites are endless for our community when we work together. Let’s keep it up!
As far as Alan Maisel goes, there will never be a politician who stands for every last thing we believe in- it’s impossible when we are all so different as are our beliefs. The most we can ask is for one to be responsive to the needs of the community and I’ve always found that to be true of Assembly Member Maisel. I’ve written to his office on numerous occasions (I’m sure you’ve noticed I’m a letter-writer) and I always get a response. It is not always what I want to hear but, at least I knows he’s listening. In the end, I hope he votes with his heart because it’s the best any of us can do.
Cheers to you and all my new friends.
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@LQuinlan, I agree with LQuinlan on the Maisel comments. Alan is always very responsive even to things like noise complaints and our other local pols, esp. “Freddie” Kruger, can learn something about constituent responsiveness for his actions.
Congrats to all involved with this great local victory and kudos to gerritsenbeach.net for providing a forum for these kinds of local issues.
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Congratulations to all involved. This is the best decision possible to all concerned.
Give credit where it is due. The community banded together, worked extremely hard and did an amazing job. LQuinlan – you’re so right. Imagine the possibilities of what can be accomplished when the community works together.
Congratulations to all. :-)
And George, I was very impressed by the way you were working that room last night :-)
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I’m not one to say, “I told you so…” wait a minute, yes I am!
To all those naysayers who told us not to waste our breath or “it’s a done deal”: Boy am I glad we didn’t listen to you! I am so proud of Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach and Sheepshead Bay. Why did it take something like this for us to realize the power we had all along?
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@LQuinlan,
Sometimes people need drmatic examples to shake them out of complacency. I am happy to see that the neighborhoods united with positive results. Hopefully that will encourage more of the same solidarity in the fututre. I know it will for me. And thank you Danny, I see your website as a medium for that.
Neighbors will argue from time to time. Living so close together such things are unavoidable, especially within a community that is so passonate and proud. In the end it was great to see that pride and passion bring us together us neighbors for a common cause.
To defeatist “done dealers”, to those who said we were wasting our time and energy fighting city hall, it looks like we really have our functioning democracy after all. Adue.
Tom “Mjolnir” McCormick
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To Mardie… Although I’m registered in a different political party from Alan Maisel, he has included me in his electioneering letters in the past, with my approval. Since reference to the Assemblyman’s notice he was voting for same-sex marriage was mentioned on this thread, and I listen to the people who make a substantial difference in his vote count, (not necessarily the Charlie who initiated the different topic) my comment is something I think he should consider. Assemblyman Maisel has, to date, been a fine representative on behalf of our Community and “narrow-minded” or not, same-sex marriage is an issue that might prove very costly to him. Just as surely as would it have been had he and our other representatives, Marty Golden and Lew Fidler, not supported the overwhelming majority in objecting to HLA in I.S. 278. I read everything on this website, and as much as I too would prefer we don’t deviate from the subject, a blog by any other name, is still a blog, which is my answer to subject matter. As for “narrow-minded”… Since you raised the point I am “narrow-minded” without knowing my point of view on the subject, I would suggest it is narrow-minded to object to the other person expressing his or her point of view. Was it “narrow-minded” for you to object to HLA over the objections of Bloomberg, Klein & Co. You might notice, I didn’t write anything about “Natural Law” or the Sanctity of marriage, or when the first married man in Vermont has a baby, legal marriage should be approved. I believe in ‘live and let live’ and ‘do unto others’ and couldn’t care less about another persons sexual preference. Furthermore, since this is one issue that seems to have had a happy ending, I’m going to change the subject again: The sewage back-up problem on MELBA COURT is being worked on as an “Emergency” (thanks to Lew Fidler and Reeves Eisen of his office) (mind you, they had nothing to do with the ‘back-up’) but FRANK COURT is still a mess.
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George,
Our elected officials should represent our POV. But I certain hope that people aren’t going to start voting on one issue. Especially one that has little effect on the community. I’d rather elect someone who knows his way around and gets the important things accomplished. I’d hope that most voters would feel likewise. But creating an issue by publicizing a position may indeed influence some people. But perhaps losing Maisel may be costly to the community in the long run.
Additionally, blogs are what their collective participants make of it. Some are generally quite orderly and others more free-ranging. But every contributor makes their own choice in what they write about it. I would, however, consider how my contributions will affect the credibility of the blog as a forum. I think that keeping on topic is the wiser course. Side issues only end up increasing the reading matter unnecessarily, more so when a hot button issue is brought into play.
But in the end all the choices are yours to make, and should be respected.
Lise
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I agree that keeping on topic is the wiser course, but other than congratulations, the topic is finished. Unless, of course, the Mayor is re-elected and decides to use his powers of manipulation –as he did with the City Council–to disregard the POV of the people on term limits (which they voted for on two occasions) and suddenly throw open the doors of I.S 278 to HLA.
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@George Broadhead, As you can see above, one of the new topics at hand is how 278 will be utilized in the future and this thread is the natural place for it. Now that we’re learning more about each other’s communities, I’m also happy to read about other issues concerning my new friends, I just think there are better places for it. Please keep us abreast on other threads how we can be of assistance- letter-writing (my own personal favorite) phone calls, etc. when a situation arises that we can band together to solve.
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@LQuinlan, With all of our trials and tribulations in Sheepshead Bay over the years, we learned early that in numbers, there is great strength, which is the reason many of us from Sheepshead Bay attended the meeting at IS 278.
We in Sheepshead Bay look forward to working with all of you in the future as well. Feel free to call on us when you need us!
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I don’t know how accessible Gerritsen Beach is to you LQuinlan, but if you would like, you are welcome to attend the next GBPOA meeting, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6. Begins at 7:30 pm. It is held in the hall of St. James Church on Gerritsen Ave. between Florence and Gotham, near the library. There are parents who have children attending P.S. 277, who have been active in the campaign to preserve the integrity of I.S. 278, with whom you might share the future outlook for 278. Far be it for me to dwell on one issue: unless, the issue is our children and their education. Lew Fidler is a regular, and if you haven’t already, click on ‘Property Owners’ in the right hand column, and you can view a video of Councilman Fidler addressing the school issue. He is in lock step with the parents and their children.
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@George Broadhead, Thanks for the invite, George, I’ll put it on my calendar and, if there are no pressing conflicts, I’ll be there. My oldest son was a graduate of 277 (back in ’87) and always had fond memories of his years growing up in the Beach.
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@LQuinlan,
It would be nice to continue the momentum that we have.
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@mjolnir, Hope to meet you some time in the future.
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@LQuinlan,
Likewise, I will make every attempt to make this week’s GBPOA meeting. Maybe I will see you there.
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@Tom McCormick, Is it this Wednesday? That’s the evening of 278′s Spring concert. If it’s any other day, I’ll be happy to be there.
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@LQuinlan,
It is Wednesday but meetings are monthly so maybe next month, unless between now and next month another cause brings us to the same battle ground.
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@Tom McCormick, My son got the concert date wrong!! Don’t you love 6th graders? He told me about it for the first time at 9:00 Sunday night and it was Wednesday.
Got the tickets today and it’s Tuesday. See you at GBPOA!
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@LQuinlan,
Slainte!!
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@George Broadhead, June 6th isn’t a Wedensday. If the meeting is this Wednesday, I’ll be at Marine Park’s Spring Concert. If not, let me know so I can attend.
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As a community we all to now to reflect on why the possibilty of a charter school was even brought up in the first place. The reason is that the Bloomberg department of education is led by a bunch of non educator’s whom have never lived or worked in our community. Bloomberg’s school system might have benifited some neighborhood’s in NYC but it only has hurt ours. In the past we had a local community Superitendant whom was from the neighborhood and understood the specific needs of community and children. In order for us to make sure our community never faces this situatation in the future we all need to make sure we call our local elected officals in Albany IE. Maisel, Gold, Kruger etc.. and tell them not to give Bloomberg control of the school. He can and should loss control of the school in June since the bill is set to expire.
Secondly in terms of our current elected officals. Let’s face the facts our community historically doesn’t come out to vote in huge numbers. For us to get elected officals whom truely represent our community we need to make sure we all vote in the primary and general election. Our community is one that is moderate to conservative Democratic. In fact Republicans have won in the area. Then the question I have is how come on election day all anyone does is pull the lever for the incumbent Democrat in office and elect liberal representativs. Besides Fidler voting to extend terms limits that allows Bloomberg to run again he hasn’t been that bad of a Councilman. He has his own business and political interest when he votes but whom can blame the man. He is trying to feed his family. Filder isn’t going to be able to run for re-election in 4 years. Then if people have issues with him and want to be the Councilman I then look forward to having an opporunity to consider you in 4 years. As for our Assembly member Maisel he votes the way he is told to by the Speaker of the Assembly. His voting record is more like David Dinkins than Rudy. He is up for re-election next year, we should get a Candidate from our community (IE Marine Park/ GB) not from the political club house of the thomas jefferson/Bergen Beach neighborhoods. I always wondered why our elected officals get the most amount of votes from GB and Marine Park but don’t live in the our community. I personally think the head of Marine Park Civic association would be great elected offical for us in the Assembly. He organized our community against the Charter school. He has a business in the neighborhood and he from our area. Plus he is a young man that will be around for years to come.
If we want to make sure this doesn’t happen to our community again then we need to continue our grass roots activity which we have never done in the past.
Remember 1 man 1 vote. If you vote and everyone else votes every elected offical that represented our community would be from Marine Park and GB and we would only get what’s best for us.
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@JUST MY OPINION,
Alan Maisel IS from the community. He’s a long time Marine Park resident.
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@JUST MY OPINION, While reasonable people can agree / disagree with your assessment of our elected officials, I will join you in saying that this is an important election year in a lot of ways, and encourage everyone to turn out and vote!
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Hay Lewis! Let’s not forget that it is self serving politicians like “YOU†who gave Bloomberg his next term. “Bad law, bad bill, bad policy†but you voted for it anyway. Why? Just so you can bleed the city for everything you can get your hands on. If you had an ounce of ethics you would have voted against a third term, after all that is what the people voted for. How could Bloomberg be so bad if you handed his a third term?
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What so bad about kids learning another language? in a few class rooms in a school, and whats wrong with the Mayor he has done a good job for the city, and should have more control over the schools,Some of these teacher want a job for life with no chance of getting fired for any reason. Get rid of the UFT they are only interested in their members not the kids
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@jim, No one disputes that learning a second language can be beneficial. If the mayor thinks it’s a great idea, he can add language back into the curriculum for ALL kids, not just at the charter school partially funded by his close personal friend and MOSTLY funded by you and me.
I’d love to know what the mayor has done that’s so wonderful, please enlighten me. I think he’s got more power now than any one man should have and I think it’s gone to his head. Apparently, no one is allowed to question him any more without being labeled a disgrace. The middle class is being forced out of the city thanks to this despicable dictator.
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@jim,
The proposal was not to simply add a language to the curriculum. The proposed charter school was to add a second elementary school into the building to teach a culture other than that of this country. Secondly this school would have been funded by tax dollars and was not wanted nor needed by the community majority.
Bloomberg has removed the entire system of checks and balances within the school system. There is no veto against his or his chancellor’s decisions. We won our fight but only because of the large out cry.
Lastly the teachers that taught me as the child in the public school system were fantastic, they were UTF back then. The changes came from the admisitration. The failures belong to them.
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@Tom McCormick, Thank “Our God” that we stopped the unwanted from coming to this school. Seriously is this community so far behind the rest of the civilized society that we condem a group of parents who wish to have their childrens lives enriched. I felt like I was in Berlin in the early 1940′s. Is this community really filled with compassion or the bigotry I saw that night. I was ashamed at the so called adults I call my neighbors. I think Marine Park didn’t win anything but lost the respect of any one who calls themselves a “Good neighbor”.
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@, I agree that the”Our God” comment was over the top and not called for, but your equating the Marine Park community to 1940′s Berlin is by far the most insulting and revolting comment I have seen so far in these discussions. As for the parents who you claim want to enrich their childrens’ lives, they can pay for private school just like the rest of us who choose to do so for our children. The bottom line here is that “Jewish” is a religion, not a nationality. Using taxpayer money to teach “Jewish Culture and Customs” as well as the Herew language “without the cost of private school tuition” flies in the face of the separation of Church & State. I can only imaginge the outcry of the opposing community if the DOE chose to bankroll a school for Roman Catholic studies (non religious, and totally secular, of course). As it stands now, in our politically correct gone mad society, the singing of a secular childrens Christmas Carol in a public school elicits a multitude of complaints and lawsuits each year, but we are supposed to stay quiet and “tolerate” a blatent attempt by a small group of individuals to syphon off public school dollars in these lean times to serve their selfish agenda. I think not.
It’s ironic that I never heard this same type of “outrage” directed at the Boro Park community when it’s residents and local politicians fought against and prohibited NYC from placing bike paths along the city streets through their neighborhood because they didn’t want to be offended by bike riders wearing biking attire that they found offensive. Last time I checked, the streets belong to all New Yorkers. Very hippocritical if you ask me.
I for one am a bit disappointed that the Marine Park Community is not pursuing this matter all the way to the State Board of Regents so that the decision to approve the HLA can be overturned altogether. After all, it does not appear to to fulfill the parameters originally established by the State for Charter Schools in the first place.
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@, I can’t believe you were at the same meeting that I was. While there was some heckling, considering the number of people that turned out, I feel it was much more orderly than it would have been in many other places.
None of the opposition to the HLA had anything to do with the *nature* of the school or its inhabitants. The objections of the community were clearly stated by the speakers to be about space and time for our students and about the sneaky way in which the charter conducted registration. The only ones who mentioned anything more were the speakers for HLA who felt the need to announce their pedigrees before they spoke and were clearly prejudiced against the community before they opened their mouths. Berlin indeed!
We have no problem with those who which to enrich their children’s lives, just not at the expense of someone else’s children.
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@LQuinlan, Your comments, efforts, and determination in support of saving our school from being hijacked by the Bloomberg/Klein dictatorship are to be admired and commended by all residents of Marine Park. The message of the Community was clearly not one of hate, but one of fairness and equality. In what was clearly a case of a small contingent of people who were seeking to advance their minority agenda to the detriment of the entire neighborhood, community solidarity and resolve saw this matter come to an equitable and fair close. Shame on those who choose to insult our community. This was democracy at it’s finest. The community has spoken, and it is time to move on.
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@,
Don’t put words in my mouth. I did not say. “our God.”
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@,
Take a look at what society has become, a failure. I hope Gerritsen Beach stays right where it is.
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LEW, THANK YOU FOR A JOB WELL DONE!
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CORRECTION: GBPOA MEETING IS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3rd… (the 6th is a different GBPOA gathering). Hope to meet you, LQuinlan and Tom McCormick. To each and everyone in ours and adjoining communities: Your Representatives did your bidding. We should expect nothing less. Stay in touch with them. Send them a thank you note, and a reminder, that, how they vote will determine how you will vote!
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@George Broadhead,
George,
Sorry I did not come over and say more than hello last night. I assumed that you already knew me. Next time I’ll come by and say hello or the next time you pass by Plumb 2nd St stop by. My house number is the same as yours.
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Hi,
Does anyone know how I can reach the woman who gave the petitions to the guy at the table last week? I am very interested in finding her — she wore a red top and jeans — Thank you.
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@Handyman, I can get in touch with her for you or at least direct her here to make contact herself.
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@LQuinlan,
Thank you — I would like to know if she is single please.
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Here is an interesting little article that is in the Daily News today:
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/06/05/2009-06-05_ps_space_still_option_for_charter.html
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Rising Tensions Over Hebrew Language Charter School
read this Sara Berman is clueless…. Its all about her prejudices….. I am sick of it… The few do not represent the many!
http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c36_a15985/News/New_York.html
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