Leadership needed at 24

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One fiasco after another has befallen one of the best public schools in the city, the Spuyten Duyvil School (P.S. 24).

First there was autumn’s desk affair, in which teachers fumed over unceremoniously losing their desks due to a strange policy idea from former Principal Donna Connelly.

Then came revelations that the Department of Education (DOE) had failed to renew the lease on an off-site space for fifth-grade classrooms. Authorities had years to prepare for the end of the agreement, but inexcusably took no serious action to extend the lease or find an acceptable new space for fifth graders.

Rightly or wrongly, those events prompted the resignation of Ms. Connelly. The DOE has spent months trying to find a replacement, but appears to be struggling with that job, too.

After officials told P.S. 24 parents to expect a new principal by the end of spring break, this week the DOE told The Press that the process is on hold so it can conduct an investigation.

The department did not specify the reason for the investigation. Whatever the cause, the DOE must expeditiously conclude its inquiry and find a highly qualified administrator as soon as possible.

A wide range of problems threatens to undermine educators’ ability to teach in the long run.

There is the question of where about 150 fifth graders will go next fall. The DOE has announced plans to squeeze them into P.S. 24’s main building — a feeble half-measure — but it will take a pro to help pull it off.

The space crisis has prompted some within the P.S. 24 community to explore whether too many out-of-zone students are being admitted. The question opens up the potential for discriminatory admission practices, so the school needs a dedicated educator to lead the way.

Lastly, there is the problem of teacher morale. Absent a permanent principal to provide leadership, P.S. 24’s outstanding teachers will be tempted to start polishing their resumes and find employment at schools with fewer problems.

Some of them were preventable, others a natural product of living in a crowded and competitive city.

The DOE should waste no more time in finding an outstanding principal for one of Riverdale’s best institutions.

PS 24, DOE

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