New program will offer support to area’s most impoverished schools

November 1, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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NORTHERN BROOKLYN — A NEW EDUCATION INITIATIVE WILL INVEST RESOURCES and provide critical support to the five schools with the highest poverty rates in District 33, City Councilmember Lincoln Restler announced on Friday, Nov. 1. Restler, who represents the district, which stretches from Greenpoint to Bedford-Stuyvesant, said the initiative will provide holistic support to schools through enhancing academic enrichment, deepening parent engagement, meeting the needs of the whole family, and funding critical capital improvements. Identified through an analysis of economic need, the priority schools are: JHS 126 in Greenpoint, PS 380 in South Williamsburg, PS 307 in DUMBO/Vinegar Hill, and PS 157 and PS 54 in Bed-Stuy. Between 77% and 89% of the students attending these schools live in poverty, which is significantly higher than the citywide average. These five priority schools are receiving a combined $3.4 million in capital upgrades and $340,000 in expense funding from Councilmember Restler and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. Restler’s office is also leveraging partnerships with affordable housing, workforce development, youth services, and emergency food nonprofits to support families at these schools.

The School Equity initiative is tracking school enrollment trends, student attendance data, the scale and depth of parent engagement, and educational outcomes. The initiative is also deepening each schools’ connections with the broader community and creating lasting partnerships.

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