June 18, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

RIVERDALE, BRONX — Council Member Eric Dinowitz and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz today announced that P.S. 81 will open a new class for the upcoming school year, expanding capacity for 22 additional students. This addition of 22 new seats is desperately needed at P.S. 81, where parents have been stuck on a waitlist for months. In response to concerns, the Council Member and Assemblyman worked with NYC Schools to get the resources needed for adding these extra seats. 

As Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Education, Council Member Dinowitz has made expanding access to quality public schools a central focus of his work, and the new class at P.S. 81 is reflective of that. The addition will ease enrollment pressure at one of the district’s most sought-after public schools and allow more local families to send their children to a neighborhood school they know and trust. For families across Riverdale and the surrounding community, the new class brings school closer to home, sparing more children a long commute or a dubious place on a waitlist.

“Parents in our community have asked for more access to P.S. 81, and we listened,” said Councilmember Eric Dinowitz. “This new class means more local children get to learn close to home in a school their families trust. I am grateful to Superintendent Hernandez, Supervising Superintendent Torres-Hulla, Principal Kirrane, and Chancellor Samuels for working with us to get this done, and proud to stand with my families and partners in government to deliver for our neighborhood.”

“Every child in the 81st Assembly District, and beyond, deserves access to a quality education,” said Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz. “When I learned that many families were facing challenges enrolling their children in a school that, for some, is located just across the street from where they have lived for years, I knew we needed to act. I am grateful to the community for trusting our offices to advocate on behalf of your families and deliver results. I also want to thank Superintendent Hernandez, Supervising Superintendent Torres-Hulla, Principal Kirrane, and Chancellor Samuels for listening to our concerns and responding swiftly to secure a positive outcome for our community.”

For Council Member Eric Dinowitz and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, the new class is one step in a broader, ongoing effort to make sure every child has access to a strong public school close to home.

###