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Private Schools Dominate Fields At Randall's Island
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 15, 2010
Modified Jun 15, 2010
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 15, 2010
Modified Jun 15, 2010
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In another reminder that money and hoity-tiotyness will always triumph over spirit, fairness, equity and merit, the NY Times reports that the public playing fields on Randall's Island are being overwhelmingly used by private schools and institutions, leaving public schools way in the outskirts.
And worst of all: the private schools offered to pay $52.6 million in 2006 for construction and refurbishment of the sports fields, as long as they could get the field 2/3 of the time during the peak hours of 3-6pm. Their offer was eventually turned down because of a lawsuit brought by public school parents, community groups and park advocates, arguing that the city had no right to grant private schools special access to public land. The city still renovated the fields, and the end result turned out the same. According to the Department of Parks and Recreation, independent private schools used the fields 56 percent of the time, compared with 13 percent for public schools; the rest of the time it is used by other private institutions, including the Catholic schools and community organizations.
Although public schools are allowed to request the use of the fields, many don't have the same resources as private schools, such as buses, so students are forced to take public transportation, and many have trouble getting to the fields in a "reasonable amount of time to make use of them." A very sad picture is revealed:
The same day that Dalton took on St. Hilda’s, another softball matchup pitted the Frederick Douglass Academy against a Boys and Girls Club team from Brooklyn. It started more than an hour late because it took two hours for the Lady Roos from the Boys and Girls Club to get there. They rode two trains and a bus, and by the time they arrived, the players were in a bad mood.
“Just do your best!” implored their coach, Felix Melendez. “Don’t be angry. Don’t make faces, it’s a beautiful day! Just look at the water!”
It's unclear if Coach Melendez's "keep your eye on the water" advice led to victory that day.
Tagged
inequality
private schools
public fields
randall's island
schools
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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