As a follow up to the January 5th 6 to 3 “yes” vote to re-zone P.S. 8 and P.S. 307, the CEC13 has issued a statement thanking “parents, community members, local organizations and elected representatives” along with school administrations and staff for their dedication and engagement over the many months of meetings, dialogue and debate.
The CEC acknowledged, “that parents and community members have a range of viewpoints on the rezoning plan, with some supportive of and others disappointed by the outcome of the vote. CEC13 remains committed to its support of all the affected communities, with particular attention to the P.S. 307 community as it navigates its transition to a larger zone while continuing as a magnet school.”
The statement also recognized the flawed district planning process and announced Superintendent Barbara Freeman’s formation of a working group. The group’s “focus is to support the diverse communities in the newly-formed P.S. 307 zone in working together, and to take concrete steps to assist P.S. 307 in its efforts to maintain and expand its school programs.”
NEXT STEPS FOR FAMILIES
The re-zoning shifts all of DUMBO and returns three buildings of Farragut Houses to the P.S. 307 zone. The CEC shared the following information for families effected by the changes:
- “The Office of Student Enrollment should already have sent an email to all families whose address was impacted by the rezone, and who had submitted kindergarten applications before the change.
- The system has been updated so families applying now are seeing their new zoned school show up on [the DOE’s] SchoolSearch and in the [Kindergarten] online application.
- Families should contact ESEnrollment@schools.nyc.gov with further questions.
- The rezoning plan accounts for the “grandfathering in” of younger siblings of students currently enrolled at P.S. 8. Please see Point #7 in the final proposal for details”
It must be added that DOE has extended the Kindergarten Admissions deadline. Families now have until January 20th to submit their applications. A Lower School open house will be held at P.S. 8 on Wednesday, January 13th from 9:00 – 10:30 am. An additional tour is scheduled for March 2nd, 9:00 – 10:30 am. Per the school’s website, tours scheduled at P.S. 307 concluded on January 1th. Based on this corespondent past experience, it is worthwhile to call the schools if you have missed- open houses.
A WORD FROM DOE CHANCELLOR, CARMEN FARINA
The following message was sent to the CEC13 via email on January 6th:
CEC Members,
It is not often that ordinary citizens have an opportunity to take a courageous stand and change the course of many children’s lives. I know that last night’s decision involved a lot of soul searching and careful deliberation on all of your parts. I congratulate you on looking toward the future and for understanding that together we can forge a better school system for all of our students. You have set a high bar for other CECs to meet, and I encourage you to think of next steps in creating a district-wide plan to fit the needs of your growing community.
Warmly,
Carmen
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