Glen Oaks Campus Renamed In Honor of Senator Padavan

The New York City Department of Education today renamed the Glen Oaks Campus after New York State Senator Frank Padavan (Queens). New York City Chancellor Joel Klein and Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott along with city education, civic and community leaders joined together for the renaming ceremony for the over 30 acre campus in recognition of Senator Padavan’s leadership in securing the building of the schools and campus nearly a decade ago.

 “This is truly a deep honor for me and I am so very grateful for this prestigious recognition,” Senator Padavan said. “I am appreciative to Mayor Bloomberg, Chancellor Klein and Deputy Mayor Walcott for bestowing me with this distinction and I am proud to be joined here today by so many wonderful friends and colleagues who help make the schools on this campus possible. To know that generation after generation of students will learn and grow on this campus means so much to me and is something I will cherish forever.”

 In August of 1998, Senator Padavan presented former NYC Schools Chancellor Rudy Crew with the possibility of building schools on state-owned land available on the grounds of the Creedmoor Psychiatric Hospital in order to reduce the growing problem of classroom overcrowding in Queens.

 Following an extensive and favorable review by Chancellor Crew and the New York City Department of Education, Senator Padavan and Assemblyman Mark Weprin (D-Little Neck) introduced legislation that allowed for the transfer of the available property from the State to the New York City Department of Education. Padavan worked with his legislative colleagues in the Senate and the Assembly and lead the way for the bill’s swift bipartisan approval and eventual enactment.
 
 Throughout the process, Senator Padavan personally conducted and led numerous community meetings with various community groups, the NYC School Construction Authority, and the Office of Mental Health to address the concerns raised by the community and to stress importance of the building the new schools to help address the overcrowding issue in Queens. 

Padavan also worked with traffic engineer Sam Swartz to ensure that there would be a minimal traffic impact on the community. Faced with significant obstacles, Senator Padavan was able to secure the necessary roadway easements through the north and south side of the Creedmoor Campus in order to mitigate the impact the new schools would have on local traffic.
 
Now nearly 10 years later the newly named Frank Padavan Campus at Glen Oaks is home to the Queens High School of Teaching, PS/IS 266 and PS/IS 208 and is home to the one of the only schools throughout the City to have a campus setting. Additionally, the Frank Padavan Campus at Glen Oaks is one of the largest public school campuses in the nation.