SCA briefs CEC on capital plan; parents press for faster repairs after schools report aging bathrooms

Ben Goodman, external affairs manager for Queens North for the School Construction Authority, reviewed the SCA five-year capital plan and specific projects affecting District 25 at Wednesday's Community Education Council meeting.

Goodman summarized the SCA’s fiscal 2025–29 plan, including capacity projects, healthy schools upgrades, and accessibility work. He said new District 25 capacity that recently opened includes an addition at PS 32 and the Paul V. Long Community Campus; future projects listed included a new primary school on Waters Edge Drive (anticipated Sept. 2026), an annex for John Bowne High School (Sept. 2027) and a new Flushing primary school on 40 Fifth Avenue (anticipated Sept. 2028).

During public comment, parents and a PS 21 principal told the council the condition of some school bathrooms poses ongoing health and operational problems. PS 21 Principal Maribel Zabrowski said the school sent photos and sought follow-up after the council recommended an auditorium upgrade and said a seating hazard had required yellow caution tape. "If there's a way to be a little more transparent, not that there's a lack of transparency, but a clear system that we can follow to ask questions to move work forward," Zabrowski said.

Parent Taylor Arnoff said the school’s bathrooms are "in an unacceptable state," and urged clear, trackable steps so projects do not stall. Another parent, Venus, urged the council to focus on equity and local outreach while SCA and district staff manage capital requests: "Supporting Black children supports all children," Venus said.

Goodman explained how capital-improvement priorities are set: SCA uses building condition assessment surveys (BCAS) and reports from facilities staff to rank systems and identify mandated repairs. He also described Resolution A grants—local elected officials’ capital allocations—and said schools and CECs often seek those grants for targeted upgrades such as bathrooms or auditorium improvements. He invited CECs to use the SCA CEC request form; the council noted several previously submitted requests were not selected for funding and asked Goodman to follow up on specific items.

After discussion, the CEC voted to submit five top requests to the SCA for the current cycle: PS 193 (bathroom work), PS 24 (bathroom work), PS 214 (bathroom work), PS 21 (auditorium upgrade) and PS 154 (masonry/roof work). The council also asked SCA to report back on the status of previously submitted projects, including PS 21. Goodman said he would follow up and provide contact and status information.

The exchange highlighted a frequent complaint from principals and parents: project funding can be allocated by elected officials or routed from facilities to SCA for capital work, and the path and timing are not always clear to school communities. Council members asked SCA to provide clearer guidance on how to check BCAS reports and where to direct requests so that CEC advocacy leads to trackable next steps.

The council approved the list of five project requests by roll-call vote and asked SCA staff to produce follow-up status reports for schools that have outstanding concerns.