November 6, 2014

To whom it may concern:

We write on behalf of the PTA of PS 8 to highlight the overcrowding problem that currently exists
at PS 8 and that promises to worsen quickly given already approved residential housing under
construction in our school zone. We respectfully request that the Department of Education
address the need for additional elementary school seats in the PS 8 school zone.
Last year, our lower school was at 142% of capacity, according to the Blue Books target formula
(which, based on research on appropriate class size, strives for no more than 20 students in
kindergarten through third grade classrooms, and no more than 28 students in higher grade
classrooms). Our school building, designed to house 4 classes on a grade, now routinely supports
5-6 classes per grade in our lower grades, with 28+ kids in several of these classrooms. PS 8 should
have additional classrooms for weekly classes like drama and dance, but we have had to give these
up to make room for additional grade-level classes. This year, we lost two pre-K classes in spite
of the mayor's push to add 25,000 new pre-K seats citywide to make room for an increasing
number of students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Here is a snapshot of our schools 2014-15 population:
Grade
Kindergarten
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th

Approximate Number of Students

140
135
143
100
106
79

The larger lower grade size does not simply reflect attrition in our upper grades. Rather, the trend
toward larger lower grades reflects a combination of our schools growing popularity and
increasing residential development in our zone.
The situation is almost certain to worsen with each year. If recent numbers stay the same, each of
the next 3 years will bring in 6 new kindergarten classes, while only 3-4 fifth grade classes leave.
This is unsustainable. In truth, though, we are likely to experience additional growth. Recent
reports indicate that between 550 and 670 more residential units are already planned and
approved for DUMBO alone in the next two years. At least one of those new developments the
Dock Street development, with 290 residential units is slated to open in December 2014.
Further compounding our problem, significant additional residential housing is currently being
considered for the PS 8 zone as part of projects planned for several large buildings in our
neighborhood. At this point, none of these projects plan for the additional school capacity needs
of the residential housing they propose.
The 37 Hicks Street building lacks the capacity to serve our rapidly growing neighborhood
population. We ask that you begin a public process to address our overcrowding in the short,
medium and long terms. We seek to ensure that our lower school is not further overcrowded in
the 2015-16 school year, and that plans are developed to address the longer term elementary
school needs of the increasing number of families that will be moving into our school zone.
Sincerely,

Kim Glickman and Ansley Samson

Co-Presidents, PTA of PS 8
president@ps8brooklyn.org