P.S. 24 principal retires as crowding crisis continues

Donna Connelly retired as principal of the Spuyten Duyvil School (P.S. 24) on Sunday, amid several weeks of controversy at the school. Assistant Principal Andrea Feldman has taken over as the acting head of the school, according to an Nov. 1 letter from District 10 Superintendent Melodie Mashel to parents and P.S. 24 staff.

For years, the school had leased an annex — used for fifth grade classrooms — in the Whitehall, a nearby co-op apartment building, but last month parents learned that the Department of Education (DOE) had let the lease expire on June 30 in spite of efforts by the Whitehall board to continue the contract. Whitehall already has a new tenant, a nursery school, lined up for the fall of 2016.

The suddenness of the news, which came during a heated Oct. 21 parents’ association meeting, left many P.S. 24 parents angry at authorities including the school administration.

“The parents feel we were let down across the board on the DOE side of things,” said P.S. 24 PA co-president Robert Heisler, adding it was unacceptable the parents were informed of the situation so late. “We hold everyone in the DOE chain of command responsible, including the principal.”

Ms. Connelly, Ms. Mashel and Assistant Principal Manny Verdi did not answer interview requests for this article.

According to Whitehall co-op president Jeffrey Moerdler, the DOE and Whitehall are “very, very close” to a deal so students can remain in the building until the end of the school year.

“There is one open issue we are waiting to get resolved so we can sign the extension through June,” he said. “Hopefully the school will not change its mind and will be able to obtain internal approval.”

But if the DOE and Whitehall cannot reach a deal, Mr. Moerdler said students will be evicted from the annex space.

“It would just be a question of how long they can delay in court,” he added.

Currently, 143 P.S. 24 students attend school in the annex.

Northwest Bronx Councilman Andrew Cohen expressed doubt when asked if he thought the students could be evicted, saying in a phone interview, “I have a hard time imagining a Bronx judge evicting a school. I’m not saying it’s not a concern, but to me it seems unlikely.”