By HECTOR FLORES

Being a parent of a child in elementary or middle school isn’t as easy
as 1, 2, 3.

For parents who are new to or unfamiliar with the Southeast Queens school system, the task of enrolling your child in school or finding a place to turn when it comes to problems in a school can be complex.

That’s where school districts come in.

Due to New York City’s vast student population, the New York City school system is split into two bodies, the Board of Education (the Central Board) and 31 School Districts.

The School Districts are responsible for implementing education programs for the elementary and middle schools in their district – Pre K to eighth graders. Each School District must follow and meet the education guidelines – and standards – established by the Central Board.

Of the 31 different School Districts, there are three districts in the Southeast Queens area; District 27, 28 and 29.

District 27 is made up of two bodies of land "mainland" Queens and Rockaway-Broad Channel. The Queens section consists of the southwestern quadrant of Queens County next to and east of the Queens-Kings boundary and south of Forest Park and west of Jamaica. The following neighborhoods are in its borders: Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Baisley Park, Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, Howard Beach and a few parts of Jamaica.

The Rockaway-Broad Channel area consists of Broad Channel–an Island located in the middle of Jamaica Bay–and the Rockaway Peninsula, which is west of the Queens-Nassau boundary. Neponist, Belle Harbor, Hammels, Arverne, Rockaway, Edgemere and Far Rockaway are geographically in this part of District 27.

District 27 is the largest district in New York and fourth largest in school enrollment. There are 31 elementary schools and six middle schools with a total enrollment of 35,000 students. The District is culturally diverse with a population percentage of 13.7 percent white, 18.6 percent Asian, 32.5 percent black and 35.2 percent Hispanic and over 70 different languages are spoken within the district.

The District Board president is Steven Greenberg and Board 27 members include James Adams, Shalom Becker, Art Beroff, Delores Bevilacqua, Ernest Brown, Donna Marie Caltabiano, James Sanders Jr. and Rowena Schwab.

The Board’s superintendent is Matthew Bromme. School Board District 27 and the Superintendent’s office can be contacted at 642-5700.

District 28 covers Forest Hills, Rego Park, Jamaica, South Jamaica, Kew Gardens and Springfield Gardens.

The District is probably one of the most equally diverse districts in Queens, with a population percentage of 19.6 percent white, 23.8 percent Hispanic, 24.7 percent Asian and 31.9 percent black.

There are 22 elementary schools and six middle schools with a registration number of approximately 24,000 students.

The president of the District Board is Shirley Huntley and the members include Lee Glover, Sandra Dorsett, Esma Inuka’Rudolf, Dushan Cvetkovich, Jeffrey M. Hartman, Nancy Ramos, Judith Rosen, Alvin D. Williams, and Sandra Dorsett.

The District superintendent is Neil Kreinik.

School Board District 28 can be reached at 830-8800.

The schools that fall under the jurisdiction of School District 29 are found in Queens Village, Hollis, St. Albans, Springfield Gardens, Laurelton, Rosedale, Cambria Heights, Jamaica Estates and parts of South Jamaica.

There are approximately 23 elementary schools and five middle schools with a registration of 26,695 children. The District’s ethnic population percentage is broken down to 1.7 percent white; 11.5 percent Asian; 12.1 percent Hispanic; and 74.8 percent black.

This District has enacted a dress code for the children in their schools. The dress code was reportedly established to promote an environment of education and encourage students to "dress for success."

The president of the District Board is Nathaniel Washington.

District Board members include Morshed Alam, Juanita Johnson, Kim Taylor, Rosa Browne, Stephen Jones, Leroy Comrie Jr., Timothy James, and Carlene Thorbs.

The District administrator is Michael Johnson. School District 29 can be reached at 978-5900.

School District 29 met most recently on Oct. 19 at Magnetech JHS 231 to continue its mission to meet the education and safety needs of the public schools with a few bumps along the way.

The school met to vote on a number of resolutions including the approval of the District’s Comprehensive Educational Plan (DCEP) as a "living document" for the 2000/01 academic school year.

The plan is expected to be used by every school in the District and was compiled by the District Administrator Michael Johnson and staff.

The plan calls for the implementation of a Professional Development Program, which will attempt to increase reading and math scores in the district.

"The test scores for the language arts and math are in," he said. "We have had an increase of 6.5 percent in reading and math scores, but we still have a long way to go," Johnson said.

In order to reach the state’s mandated education requirements, Johnson plans to call upon the help of school specialists who will work with the middle schools in the District.

At the meeting there was also talk of developing middle school initiative academies that will serve as small learning centers and help children with their transition from elementary to middle school.

Despite Johnson’s DCEP plan, there were a few residents who felt that the District Board did a poor job in informing the community of the resolution.

"I am on the Board’s mailing list and I have yet to receive a copy of the completed resolution," Reverend Charles Norris said. "How can the Board vote on a resolution without first informing the public," he said.