Ferreras-Copeland
Sept. 26, 2016 By Hannah Wulkan
A new middle school will be built in East Elmhurst to help fight overcrowding in local schools, announced Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland on Friday.
The new school is planned for a site at 111th Street and Astoria Boulevard and will serve about 600 students, Ferreras-Copeland said, though it still needs to be approved by City Council.
“Constructing schools to meet the needs of my community has been a challenge and a priority for me since day one. Every student deserves a beautiful space to learn,” Ferreras-Copeland said in a statement. “I have canvassed my district for the past six years to find adequate sites for schools, and I thank SCA for moving quickly to make this middle school a reality for families in East Elmhurst.”
While no timeline or budget has been announced for the project, it is slated to go up before the City Council in the next few months, and the design process is in the early stages.
According to Ferreras-Copeland’s office, there is still a need for at least 4,000 school seats in the district, and this school will help to decrease the need and fight overcrowding.
“A new middle school that will relieve school overcrowding is precisely what our community needs,” said Myrna Palacios, a Board member and parent leader in Queens for Make the Road New York. “Immigrant children and families like mine across Queens have suffered for too long due to inadequate classroom space and school facilities, and this new school will be an important step to ensuring that our children have the opportunity to thrive.”
This school will be the eighth school that Ferreras-Copeland has worked to build with the School Construction Authority since she took office in 2009.
Featured Events
5 Comments
How do I apply to work as an Administrative Assistant at that school ?
I’m glad there is a school but there are already too many cars parked in the area. I hope they give the teachers a parking garage. It will be necessary especially on alternate side days.
The land they are proposing is at the intersection of Astoria Blvd & Ditmars Blvd. Just before on the on ramp to GCP & Whitestone Expy. Traffic is very heavy at that intersection. They better think long before they build s school there.
All well and good but they better make sure those children are safe at the crosswalks. The land they are proposing for the school is by the on ramps to GCP/Whtestone Expy. & Astoria Blvd & Ditmars intersection.. Very heavy traffic. So they better think twice about their safety.
there is a great need for a middle school . But I worry about this spot as it is small and was used for many years as a constuction company site. I would be worried about the fear of toxins in the soil. The traffic would also be a major problem.