You are reading

Queens Legislators Condemn DOE Decision to Cut College Prep Program at a Flushing High School

Townsend Harris High School (Instagram @thhsclassic)

Aug. 3, 2020 By Allie Griffin

The Department of Education will no longer be funding a popular college preparatory program offered at a top Flushing high school–and Queens legislators are speaking out.

More than a dozen Queens lawmakers condemned the department’s decision to cut The Bridge Year Program that is offered to students at Townsend Harris High School, located at 149-11 Melbourne Ave. The program, which will end next year, is conducted in partnership with Queens College.

The program allows seniors at the high-ranking high school to take up to six credits per semester of accredited college-level courses with Queens College students on the shared campus. The program will end in July 2021.

Assembly Members Nily Rozic, Edward Braunstein, Stacey Pheffer-Amato, Daniel Rosenthal, David Weprin, Catalina Cruz, Brian Barnwell, Andrew Hevesi and Ron Kim, along with State Senators Toby Stavisky, John Liu and Leroy Comrie said the DOE’s decision to cut the program overlooks its importance and the positive impact it has had on students over the 30 years it has been around.

“We are disappointed to learn the news that the DOE has decided to eliminate funding for this vital partnership despite the overwhelming advocacy from students, teachers, administrators, and community-at-large to keep this program alive,” they said in a joint statement.

The state lawmakers also criticized the mayor and chancellor’s handling of student education during the pandemic.

“The Mayor and the Chancellor are clearly not up to the task of prioritizing the wellbeing of our students — whether that means determining how to safely reopen, provide quality at-home learning, or providing access to unique opportunities such as The Bridge Year Program,” they said.

The Bride Year Program is essential to the school’s goal of preparing students for college and plays a significant role in one of the most diverse communities in Queens, the group of elected officials argued.

“While the DOE claims that Townsend Harris is not alone in facing these drastic cuts as other schools experience budget shortfalls, we believe this is further proof that the City is targeting these students in a harmful and long lasting way.”

Assembly Member Rozic, whose district includes the high school, penned a letter to Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza in early March, urging him to fund the program for another five years through June 2026. It was signed by 15 additional Queens legislators.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Fall fun in western Queens: Your guide to the best seasonal events

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

With beach days and summer BBQs behind us, the start of September rings in the start of magnificent Fall foliage, Halloween and more fun activities that come with the start of Autumn, including a list of Fall events in the area. From apple picking to seasonal ciders and more, there is tons to explore in the community. From Mystic Markets to scary movie meet-ups and more, here is a list of Fall events you do not want to miss.

Fresh Meadows MS-13 gang associate sentenced to nearly a half-century in prison for murder of Corona teen in Kissena Park: Feds

An MS-13 gang associate from Fresh Meadows was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison on Tuesday, Aug. 26, for the 2018 slaying of a Corona teenager in Flushing’s Kissena Park.

Juan Amaya-Ramirez, 27, and his co-defendant Oscar Flores-Mejia, 25, from Elmhurst, who is also an associate of the transnational criminal organization, pleaded guilty to the murder of 17-year-old Andy Peralta in Brooklyn federal court last September.

AG’s office launches investigation into death of man run over by police officer in Flushing Meadows Corona Park

The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigations (OSI) has launched a probe into the death of a civilian on Saturday, Aug. 23, following a motor vehicle collision involving NYPD officers in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

At approximately 4:37 p.m., an NYPD officer from the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst was driving westbound in a marked police cruiser, a 2015 Ford Taurus, at around 10 miles per hour in front of the Queens Theater on United Nations Avenue South, across from the Unisphere, when the vehicle ran over a man who was allegedly lying face up on the roadway prior to the collision, police said.