The daily routine of many Bronx public high school students goes something like this: get to school an hour early to be herded through metal detectors, eat lunch at 10 a.m. in a crowded cafeteria, and go home without having had any art, music, or science classes.

Experiences like these brought more than 60 Bronx youth, educators and activists to a press conference and rally on the steps of City Hall on Aug. 7, demanding better funding for Bronx public education in the next five-year capital plan (2010-2014), which the Department of Education is drafting now.

The protesters, organized by the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition and its youth arm, Sistas and Brothas United, presented a “Back to School Shopping List” to the DOE, Mayor Bloomberg and Deputy Mayor Walcott, speaking to cameras from major news channels about their experiences with overcrowded schools.

A large sign in the crowd ticked off the protesters’ list of demands: “build more schools, restore the 1,703 seats cut from the Bronx midway through the current capital plan, build 2,000 seats at the Kingsbridge Armory, build a new school for the Leadership Institute [a fledgling local high school fast running out of space], build more libraries, computer labs, gym and recreation areas, art and music classes, and science labs.”

In yellow shirts that said, “Say Yes to the Northwest Bronx” students chanted a familiar refrain: “What do we want? More schools! When do we want them? Now!” Last year, the Coalition organized a similarly themed protest. The DOE has acknowledged overcrowding problems in the northwest Bronx’s District 10 and says it’s taking steps to alleviate the problems in the next capital plan. There are no plans, however, the DOE says, to restore the 1,703 lost seats, which it says were cut based partially on diminished (and controversial) population projections in the area, as well as a low graduation rate.

“They’re using closets as classrooms. I don’t know how they survive,” Councilman Oliver Koppell said at the podium. “I demand our schools be treated as well as those in Manhattan. The Bronx should not be a stepchild.” (Assemblyman Jose Rivera also attended the rally.)

Koppell pointed out that Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott convened an emergency task force for an overcrowded Manhattan district, but not District 10.

New York City’s graduation rate ranks 46th out of 50 major city school systems. At an average of 99 percent capacity, District 10 schools are the third most overcrowded in the city, according to a report by city Comptroller William Thompson.

“In the next capital plan there should be new schools, because otherwise everyone’s going to drop out,” said Divisai Flow, 17, a student at Bronx Leadership Academy and Sistas and Brothas activist. “The DOE expects only 36 percent of kids to graduate. That’s disturbing. They should be able to say that 100 percent of kids can graduate.”

There is hope that students will effect change. Bronx Leadership International School student Natia Williams, 17, recently travelled with the Coalition to Albany and to a meeting with Walcott. After persistent pushing, they got $66,000 for school computers, she said.

With computer labs turned into classrooms, they’re still looking for a place to put their new machines, Natia said. But, “by getting the computers, we’ve shown that change is possible, with a little pressure,” she said.