School Library, Garden Win Participatory Budget Funds In Brooklyn

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, NY — Four Central Brooklyn schools will share $1 million in public funding for library, school yard and other improvement projects after residents voted in this year's participatory budgeting process.

Nearly 2,000 locals age 11 and older voted to fund school-related projects in Clinton Hill and Crown Heights, according to City Council Member Crystal Hudson.

P.S. 11 in Clinton Hill will receive the biggest share — $350,000 to upgrade its school yard, which has been damaged by years of construction, according to Hudson. The school yard is currently a concrete play area that is unsafe for students.

"This project will create a safer schoolyard for the school’s students and the surrounding community. The renovations will include the installation of a small track and basketball court," the project description reads.

New Bridges Elementary in Crown Heights, a school where 86 percent of students experience economic insecurity, received $250,000 for a new experiential learning lab.

"Currently, the school does not have sufficient resources for students to have hands-on learning experiences, a particularly acute challenge for a school in which nearly one-in-four students have a learning challenge or disability," according to Hudson's email to constituents.

Also in Crown Heights, Ebbets Field Middle School is slated for a community garden upgrade with $250,000 of participatory budget funding.

The school's garden has been out of commission since the start of the pandemic. Reviving the garden will allow students and community members a space to convene, make a positive impact on their environment and learn about food sustainability, according to Hudson.

P.S. 270 in Clinton Hill — a school with significant economic insecurity — received $150,000 for library upgrades. The funding will improve the library's technology and materials.

"The students at P.S. 270 are among those with the greatest need in our district, and their existing library does not have the technology needed to ensure students can succeed from elementary school to high school and beyond," Hudson's project description reads.

The funding decisions are the result of months of work, including "soliciting project ideas, reviewing concepts with city agencies and budget delegates, hosting info sessions, soliciting votes online and at poll sites, and counting the ballots," Hudson said in a message to constituents.