Harlem Children Zone’s Promise Academy charter school, built with $60M from city, opens
Some neighbors don’t see the benefit, as most slots are for students from outside the immediate area. Mayor Bloomberg hails public-private charter partnership.
Enthused parents, students, and investors cheered the opening of the Harlem Children’s Zone’s new school and community center — but residents remained skeptical about the $100 million facility.
Geoffrey Canada, CEO and founder of Harlem Children’s Zone, presided over a ceremony Thursday for the newly finished Promise Academy charter school and community center, which will formally open to students on July 8.
The five-story building — in the middle of the St. Nicholas Houses — will accommodate 1,300 K-12 students and provide free medical, dental, and mental health care services to its students, as well as healthy breakfast and lunch without charge.
“We want to make sure children of the community and this neighborhood have access to quality education,” said Canada. “We want to get the most disadvantaged kids and give them a shot.”
The light-filled school was built with $20 million from Goldman Sachs Gives and $60 million from the Department of Education, which is fostering the growth of charter schools.
“I get a smile on my face when I think of the impact this project will have on this generation and the generations to come,” said Mayor Bloomberg, a staunch supporter of public-private partnerships and charter schools.
Not all the residents at St. Nicholas Houses are so optimistic.
About a third of the 100 available spots this year in the school have been reserved for kids from the St. Nicholas Houses, the rest will be given out in August through a citywide lottery.
“We thought it was gonna be a school for kids from St. Nicholas, but it’s not. It’s for kids from all over,” said L. Graham, 52, a 22-year resident of the housing development. “They already have most the students for the school, and they’re not from here.”
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Residents also added that the opening of W. 129th street from a cul de sac to a through street has changed the neighborhood — and not for the better.
“They took out our park to put in the street,” said Shanai Edwards, 47. “And they’re bringing a lot of traffic from people who aren’t from here.”
Marilyn Torres, 22, another St. Nicholas Houses resident, had different take on the school. She said she’s excited for her daughter Yanalia Torres to attend kindergarten just steps from their apartment.
“It’ll develop a strong sense of community here. The kids will live, grow up, and go to school with familiar faces,” said Torres.
Alicia Eddie, who grew up in the St. Nicholas Houses and said she also plans on sending her daughter to the charter school, added that since the school’s gone up the neighborhood has become safer.
“I see a big difference in the community. I see a lot more foot patrol, more police, and it’s cleaner,” Eddie said. “This school is a positive thing not just for the kids but the whole community.”
Canada said that he didn’t expect everyone to warmly welcome his school right away, but added that the facility is there for all members of the community. He said by this summer his organization will offer free class to parents and families in the community, from GED courses to cooking classes.
Bloomberg said he hopes the charter school will serve as an example for other communities and that it leads to similar projects in the future.
“This could be just a prologue to taking this city so far forward and giving so much opportunity to so many kids,” Bloomberg said after the event, before expressing his concerns about his successor. “We can only hope that the public exercise their franchise, votes for the next mayor and then holds the next administration’s feet to the fire.”