DOE Planners Propose Moving P.S. 8 Zone Line to Exclude DUMBO and Vinegar Hill

By on September 2, 2015 10:21 pm in DUMBO, Education, Government, Kids, News, Other Brooklyn, Parents

At Tuesday evening’s CEC13 Brooklyn meeting, planners from the Department of Education revealed a draft proposal (see photo) that would greatly shrink P.S. 8’s zone by taking away DUMBO and Vinegar Hill, which would be added to the zone of P.S. 307. The redrawn zones would apply only to students entering kindergarten, or transferring in at a higher grade level, after the rezoning goes into effect. “Sibling grandfathering” may be allowed.

The rezoning would, according to the planners and based on projections that reflect the effects of planned new residential construction, alleviate the overcrowding at P.S. 8, while enhancing the presently underutilized P.S. 307.

For more information, including how to comment on or ask questions about the proposal, see my Eagle story.

Update: the Powerpoint slides used by the planners in their presentation, including projected enrollment figures, diversity, etc. are here.

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  • Concerned

    This proposal makes perfect sense. It’s a relief they got it correct.

  • LivesHere

    Hmmm. So does this mean all the kids from the projects will be in 307? If so, not sure that makes sense. Then 8 becomes elitist gathering spot… Hope i am misunderatanding it…

  • Concerned

    Actually, the new plan diversifies PS 307 with higher income families in DUMBO.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com ClaudeScales

    At the meeting the planners showed a chart illustrating the effect on racial balance at both schools. I didn’t take a photo, but as I recall P.S. 8 is projected to have about the same percentage of “minority” (defined as anyone not “white non-Hispanic”) students–somewhere around 35%–as it does now. P.S. 307, which is now almost entirely “minority,” would see that reduced to about 55%. It seems likely, though, that since the 307 zone includes a large number of public housing residents, the “minority” community in that zone will be significantly less affluent than that in the P.S. 8 zone.

  • 1969

    They gave ranges, but yes — the PS8 zone would go from 34% minority, to 25-35% minority, and PS307 zone would go from 95% minority, to 55-65% minority (I don’t know how minority was defined, and I don’t think they gave projected changed to percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch in each student body). I believe that is a snapshot of the present, and not a projection into the future, when what would be the new PS307 zone (the PS8 zone too) would be growing rapidly because of new construction.

    One other interesting number was that the current PS307 zone produced a total of 17 public K students last year, and PS8’s zone produced 162 (those are kindergartners residing in those respective zones attending any public school, including charters, as I understand it). The current PS307 zone, as I understand it, includes basically (if not absolutely entirely) only 4 of the Farragut Houses (the other 3 buildings in that complex are zoned for PS8).

    I can’t remember the exact number, but the DOE people also mentioned that as of last year, there were already families in the PS8 zone attending PS307 — maybe someone else remembers the number, but it was more than 10, I think, but less than 20?

  • Concerned

    Question. Isn’t PS 307 currently all NYCHA Farragut Houses? That’s what this looks like on the map. How many more “projects” are there in DUMBO and Vinegar Hill? It seems like (and I don’t know) that PS 307 is mainly adding a lot of higher income families in DUMBO and Vinegar Hill.

  • LivesHere

    Interesting – thanks to both.

  • TomS

    This is the correct plan. And retaining concord village within zone is important. Without it, the zone is very wealthy. With it (and the henry street mitchel lama), it maintains some balance.

    I don’t live in concord college but have kids at 8

  • bklyn20

    People should remember that, c. 2004, PS 8 was a failing school, with a very different population than what it has now. The building was half-empty and had very, very – if any – students from Brooklyn Heights.

    If parents and administrators can work together with some sensitivity and consideration, a new school can be created that works for all the students. I am speaking from
    experience, because my child entered pre-K at PS 8 in the fall of 2004. It can be done.

  • Guest

    Any information on PS 287 being a part of this, that schools is greatly underutilized. Any solutions for Dowtown Brooklyn residents?

  • Scott

    Downtown Brooklyn residents can attend the underutilized school they’re currently zoned for.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com ClaudeScales

    The planners said that P.S. 287 wasn’t included in the rezoning plan because of the great amount of construction underway or planned in its vicinity.

  • SongBirdNYC

    The CEC would like to publicly present a finalized re-zoning plan at their next meeting which is scheduled for Wednesday, September 30th at 6:30 pm, P.S. 307 Daniel Hale Williams, 209 York Street, Brooklyn, NY. Therefore, I’d like to encourage everyone to send their comments, suggestions and
    concerns about the re-zoning proposal to the CEC and DOE’s Office of
    District Planning via this link:
    http://cec13.org/hot-topics/rezoning/rezoning-comments/ Your input will
    be sent directly to both entities simultaneously. You can also send a
    copy of your comments to D13 Superintendent, Barbara Freeman at BFreeman6@nyc.schools.gov. As Claude explained in his Brooklyn Daily Eagle article, “If the re-zoning plan approved at that meeting, CEC13 will vote on it
    within 45 days thereafter. It will then go to the superintendent for
    approval. If any significant changes are made to the plan after Sept. 30
    — a subsequent meeting is scheduled at P.S. 8 on Oct. 20 — the 45 day
    period will commence anew.”