On Sunday May 6th, The New York Post ran an article by Sara Dorn and Susan Edelman featuring P.S. 8 parents who have chosen to send their children to a local charter school rather than M.S. 8.  (The Robert Fulton School is a K-8 school). The detailed response was jointly signed by the PTA Executive Board and School Leadership Team (SLT). It is reproduced  HERE in full.

“Dear New York Post editorial staff, Sara Dorn and Susan Edelman,

We write in response to a biased and poorly reported story that ran in the New York Post on Sunday, May 6, 2018, regarding Brooklyn Heights parents choosing to leave the neighborhood for middle school. Many 5th grade parents were approached for comment, but those that shared positive experiences and stories were left out of the article. One parent of an MS8 graduate and current 5th grader excited to attend MS8 was told by the reporter Sara Dorn that her comments were not needed because the reporter had already heard positive things about MS8 from parents sending their children there and she was specifically looking for parents sending their children to charter schools. Despite the good expressed about MS8 by so many, there was little positive language about the school in the article. The article’s purpose appeared to be the denigration of a neighborhood public school in favor of another school. To have the hard work and success of MS8’s teachers, students, administrators, and parents reflected so poorly, for the sake of pitting one hard-working school against another, is a disservice and an insult to all involved and invested in public education in New York City.

School choice can be valuable for parents and guardians in pursuit of the right educational fit for their children. To disparage a school like MS8, which has successfully traversed the various transitions one might expect at a fledgling school, is unnecessary and unappreciated by the community that has poured its heart into ensuring its success.

Furthermore, at a time when the stark racial segregation in NYC public schools is again in the headlines, the under-reported story is that MS8 is a success. It is an example of a racially (34% white, 41% black, 16% Hispanic, 1% American Indian/Alaskan, 4% Asian, 1% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and 3% multiracial), ethnically and socio-economically mixed public middle school serving students of all academic levels that is working hard to support and foster an inclusive, supportive school environment. The commitment of MS8 teachers, administrators, students and parents to racial diversity and equity shows in the ELA and Social Studies curriculum and has led to various programs to support restorative justice practices and persistent dialogue about equity both in the school and community at large. With the continued efforts of engaged students, parents, guardians, administrators and teachers, we continue to strengthen our MS8 community.

Most importantly perhaps, MS8 is succeeding academically. MS8’s high school admissions have been strong. MS8 offers Regents Algebra and Living Environment to all students in 8th grade, and students have historically done very well on those tests. MS8 also has a new science lab, a lovely art room, a fitness room upstairs (MS8 students currently have exclusive access to the larger gym one period a day, and additional access is expected to be available for sports team practice next year), and we are forging science and other partnerships with neighbor universities City Tech College and NYU Tandon. That the Spanish teacher left in the beginning of the academic year due to familial illness and could not be replaced was difficult, but the program is expected to resume in the fall.

Every marker indicates that MS8 is growing nicely into its position as a cornerstone of middle school education in District 13. The MS8 community is excited to welcome the many students continuing from our lower to our middle school next year, and all those joining us from the other amazing District 13 elementary schools.

Sincerely,

The PS8/MS8 PTA Executive Board & School Leadership Team”

DISCLOSURE: SongBirdNYC is a PS8 parent and member of the School Leadership Team.

Photo Credit: www.ps8brooklyn.org

The DOE’s Office of District Planning presented their final re-zoning proposal to the District 13 CEC at a meeting on Monday night.  The ODP’s powerpoint deck outlined the general themes and recurring questions that were raised during a series of community meetings which began in late September.

While the zone lines remain unchanged, new to the plan is a 50 percent admissions set-aside at P.S. 307 for children who qualify for free or reduced lunch.  Per the presentation, “The DOE is committed to implementing an admissions priority where students who qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch would have priority for 50% of the available seats at P.S. 307. Zoned students will continue to receive priority over non-zoned students who qualify for FRL.  This priority would be implemented in 2017-18 school year at the earliest to ensure compliance with terms of magnet grant.”

The Magnet Grant is a Federal program and admissions guidelines enable students from throughout the District to attend P.S. 307.  Per the DOE’s presentation, “The DOE anticipates requesting a 4th year extension for the Magnet Grant, which means federal magnet funding will continue for almost two more years, ending on 9/30/2017.”

Of major concern to the P.S. 307 community is whether the school would eventually “flip” to serve mostly affluent families from Dumbo should the re-zoning pass, thus losing their Title 1 funding in the process.  P.S. 307 PTA Co-President Faraji Hannah-Jones expressed disappointment, “When we said 50 percent, we didn’t say 50 percent with conditions.  We said 50 percent, period…We want the opportunity to sustain our equity for that neighborhood.”  Adding, “We don’t want P.S. 307 to become P.S. 8.”

Hannah-Jones also referenced a joint action plan that had been previously presented to the DOE during community engagement meetings.  “We also have over 400 letters signed from the Farragut houses, from the Church of the Open Door, from people from the school [all] supporting our plan.  I urge you to listen.”   Hannah-Jones  added later in the evening the action plan includes a request for the DOE to fund the P.S. 307’s STEM lab for for an additional five years.

This announcement of the admissions priority for P.S. 307 comes just days after the DOE announced it would approve an admissions pilot program aimed at creating more diversity at seven public elementary schools including District 13’s P.S. 146, The Brooklyn New School and Arts & Letters in Fort Greene.  The proposals had been under consideration since 2014.

Other elements of the re-zoning proposal explained that P.S. 287 was not included because of the DOE’s desire to reserve capacity at that school to accommodate projected residential development in Downtown Brooklyn.  The proposal also includes the grandfathering of siblings.  Meaning, siblings of children who currently attend P.S. 8 would be able to attend the school even if their residence has been re-zoned to P.S. 307.  The DOE expects the full impact of the re-zoning to take about six years if sibling grandfathering is approved by the CEC.

Ansley Samson, spoke briefly on behalf of the P.S. 8 PTA, “As you know we support this re-zoning on the table because it is the only thing that begins to start the process of managing our severe and fast-growing overcrowding…As a PTA, we look forward engaging in this process and engaging with our sister schools in this district.”  The DOE has scheduled a small-group meeting with members of the P.S. 8 and Dumbo community for December 2nd.  This meeting is part of the extended period of community engagement that resulted from the delay in the re-zoning voting schedule.

The 45-day clock has officially started ticking and the CEC has until January 5th to vote.  The CEC will likely decide the date of the vote during their next meeting.  The next CEC meeting will take place from 6:30 – 8:30 pm on December 8th at P.S. 56 Lewis H Latimer, 170 Gates Avenue.   Members of the community are encouraged to continue to submit their comments to the CEC/DOE via the CEC’s webform. Additional information may also be found on the Brooklyn page of the Office of District Planning’s webiste.

Wednesday night the DOE’s Office of District Planning (ODP) rolled out their Official Rezoning Proposal for P.S. 8 and P.S. 307 at a densely-packed public meeting held at P.S. 307.  The zone lines, previously presented in draft form at two Town Hall meetings on September 16th at P.S. 307 and September 21st at P.S. 8., remain the same.  The plan draws the line of demarcation along the Brooklyn Bridge shifting Dumbo and Vinegar Hill from a P.S. 8 to P.S. 307 zone.

The DOE’s rationale for the re-zoning also remains the same.  The DOE would like to grow P.S. 307’s zone size to “generate a stable and reliable enrollment.”  Conversely, they would like to alleviate the wait-list at P.S. 8 and provide families with “more opportunity to anticipate options.”  P.S. 8’s capacity is currently at 143% with a total enrollment of 741 students.  While P.S. 307’s building, which houses 372 elementary school students and 81 middle school students, utilizes 58%.

POINTS OF INTEREST:

• The DOE proposed enrollment projections for each school includes sibling grandfathering.  (Grandfathering only effects children entering Kindergarten.  It enables younger siblings of zoned children enrolled in K-5 to receive top admissions priority at their sibling’s school.).  Grandfathering could potentially prolong the full effects of re-zoning for up to five years. CEC members must vote to include sibling grandfathering in the implemented plan.
• This re-zoning plan is a short-term solution for P.S. 8.  The presentation’s post re-zoning enrollment stats project for P.S. 8 to operate at 143% capacity once re-zoning reaches full scale.
• The presentation includes a P.S. 307 “Growth Plan” slide that describes how the DOE feels the school would benefit from re-zoning.
• DOE introduced a separate plan that re-sites M.S. 313, aka Satellite West, to the newly built Dock Street School freeing up 360 elementary school seats to District 13 at P.S. 307’s building.
• In addition to scheduled CEC meetings, DOE community engagement will include stakeholder meetings with P.S. 307, P.S. 8 and District 13 communities and the founding of a Re-zoning Implementation Taskforce.
• The 45-day voting “clock” has not started ticking.  Superintendent, Barbara Freeman has not officially endorsed the plan yet.

After the presentation, comments were made by the CEC panel, multiple elected officials, community organizers and parents alike.  Familiar themes were voiced: the short time frame allotted for discussion and implementation of re-zoning, lack of community engagement, allocation of funding and resources for each school, impacts of widespread residential development and yes, race and class. Mostly, the ire was directed squarely at the DOE.

CEC MEMBERS WEIGH IN:

Maggie Spillane, citing the many requests to postpone the re-zoning vote, did “not think a delay is necessary or helpful” and that “certainty will help provide some motivation for some people to come to the table” for community bridge building.  But she shared Rob Underwood’s views on the need for clarity surrounding the M.S. 313/I.S. 611 plan.  Underwood proclaimed, “The biggest problem in District 13 is NOT the overcrowding at P.S. 8. Period…The number one issue in District 13 is middle school quality.…I do think there is some merit in the P.S. 8 and P.S. 307 re-zoning, but it is inextricably linked to the I. S. 611 plan and until we have a detailed, concrete, specific plan for I.S. 611, I could not vote yes for the re-zoning. ”

Rob Underwood emphasizes need for “quality Middle Schools” in District 13.

Vascilla Caldeira shared, “We are not just tools for the DOE…we are accountable as parents. We are accountable as a CEC to look at ALL the avenues that are presented to us.” CEC President David Goldsmith added, “I think that it’s clear that we have a big challenge in 307, P.S. 8 and Downtown in general….our history is exacerbated by a history of poor planning by the Dept of Education [and] uneven development in our schools.” Goldsmith, however remained optimistic, “what I see, what I hear is that families are ready to stand together and fight for each other’s children.”

Ed Brown, whose verdict on re-zoning is “still out,” was sympathetic to P.S. 8’s overcrowding but lamented (to loud applause) about “under-served” and “under-utilized schools” in District 13.  Adding, “You cannot force parents who have made up their mind that they’re not going to send their children to schools that service a certain segment of the population…that they are not going to go into schools that have leadership of color.”

Renee Burke, a P.S. 133 parent, echoed Ed Brown’s sentiments, “We have to figure out the real method, program, solution for growing 307 in the right way. And that goes for all of our schools in the district because we shouldn’t be fighting among ourselves about who’s going to get what…NYC is suffering and that’s because we’re not spreading [out resources] so that everyone has the same playing field. If the DOE is committed to making our schools better, they have to be committed to getting the resources to the schools.”

Ben Greene, both a long-time CEC member and P.S 307 PTA Co-President, directed his comments toward the ODP, “You made the statement that larger enrollment brings more money.  But not always…I want to see the money upfront, I want to see the resources up front. …What will the DOE do to support P.S. 8 if this proposal is voted down?…What are resources that the DOE is going to commit to 307 if this rezoning proposal is voted yes? We need more information on the development. Right now we’re getting very vague information.”

After critiquing the DOE’s approach to rezoning as “terribly flawed,” Amy Shire  thoughtfully questioned, “I have a question for all of the people who think that there isn’t enough time…for people who want to postpone this for another year…What kind of conversations need to be had? What kind of concrete plans need to be put into place? What kind of trust needs to be built?”

PTA’S & COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS HAVE THEIR SAY:

Former P.S. 8 PTA Co-President, Ansley Samson spoke on behalf of the school, “We wish this had happened differently. We wish the DOE had presented this information earlier…we want to come together and support a process…that works for the community currently at P. S. 307. We believe this happens better with planning and certainty now.”

P.S. 307 Co-President, Faraji Hannah-Jones addresses the crowd.

Speaking on for the P.S. 307 PTA, Co-President Faraji Hannah-Jones explained, “We would have liked to have been consulted with first to see how and what we want out of this proposal.”  He evoked the legacy of “those people that have been here [in the community] and gone through every struggle known to the history of Brooklyn” adding, “we need more time.”

Rev. Dr. Mark V. C. Taylor, Pastor of Church of the Open Door began simply, “This is a bad plan.”  He laid out multiple points of opposition and garnered many shout outs from the audience.  He crescendoed with “It is perhaps the case that all of the tensions are not based on race. But to say race and class are not issues and that we’re just going to grow and everybody automatically flows together is just naïve at best, dishonest at worst.”

ELECTEDS SOUND OFF:

State Senator Daniel Squadron did not mince words, “The Department has compounded terrible planning-actually no planning-with insufficient public information, a failure to bring together the P. S. 307 and P. S. 8 communities for real dialogue and a disrespectful lack of sensitivity to the inevitable concerns [of] parents…If you feel like DOE has pitted neighbors against neighbors, it’s because it has.” Squadron urged, “DOE must work with stakeholders to have transparent data-driven conversations about new and existing elementary and middle school capacity and the impact on families’ schools and equity BEFORE we get to this point. Not after.  We cannot have this conversation again in five years…”

State Senator, Daniel Squadron

During his remarks, Councilman Steve Levin referenced two meetings held last year. “About a year ago, the engagement with the P.S. 8 community began in fits and starts,” citing the initial Overcrowding Town Hall organized by the P.S. 8 PTA in November 2014 and held at Plymouth Church.  The second was a Community Engagement Meeting held at P.S. 287 in May where Executive Director of Space Planning, Thomas Taratko expressed regret for not re-zoning P.S. 8 two years ago, making it apparent to those in attendance that re-zoning would be “likely.”  Levin continued, “there was no real effort to reach out to the 307 community [after these meetings] and that should have happened….it is totally reasonable that members of the 307 community feel blindsided and rushed by this whole process.” However, Levin “cautioned against doing nothing” about P.S. 8’s overcrowding saying, “allowing it to continue status quo is not a substitute for proper planning and we have a responsibility for all families and children to have a predictable framework.”

Assemblyman Walter T. Mosely also spoke briefly referencing a joint letter penned with Senator Velmanette Montgomery and Councilmember Laurie Cumbo which requests, “approval of this proposed re-zoning be delayed until adequate time for community participation in the process has been provided.”  Other attendees of note included: NY State Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, Representatives of Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, Senator Montgomery and Councilwoman Cumbo’s offices, Community Board 2 District Manager Rob Perris, DOE Director of Admissions Gentian Folstrom, District 13 Superintendent Barbara Freeman, P.S. 307 Principal Stephanie Carroll and P.S. 8 Principal Seth Phillips.

PARENTS & RESIDENTS:

Parents and residents from both the 307 and 8 communities alike universally panned the timing, lack of community engagement and scant implementation details offered in the proposal.  Confusion surrounding sibling grandfathering persisted and was clarified on at least two occasions during the meeting.  Questions about the resources allocated to each school were top of mind.

A father who identified as a Dumbo parent felt the DOE had “taken the right thing to do and completely messed it up.” He pressed, “How are you going to preserve what’s good about [307]…How can what’s good at P.S. 8 be brought down the hill? Stop talking to us like administrators, start talking to us like educators…tell us how our kids will be better off in the new 307 that you are proposing. Tell us what your plan is to bring us together.”  Michael Higgins Jr, speaking on behalf of FUREE (Families United for Racial & Economic Equality) inquired, “How will programming be maintained and improved if 307 loses it’s title 1 funding [due to demographic changes in the student body]?  Will the school lose it’s free lunch funding?”

Cheryl Goodman, a long-time Farragut resident whose children attended P.S. 307, spoke to several points that concern her community.  Among them, the deep seeded fear that both children and funding would be displaced from 307.  She placed the blame on the DOE for under- funding the school, allowing Charter schools to pilfer students and not reacting appropriately to rapid residential development.  “Somebody [at the DOE] didn’t do their job when the industrial area was re-zoned for residential,” a point that all communities can agree upon. “The Department of education should have immediately considered the amount of families that would be coming in and what that would do to the education of the children that they’re responsible for.”

Ms. Goodman concluded, “[307]  is a viable school. It is an excellent school. It was rebuilt. So NOW it’s attractive? It’s a magnet school. Anybody can come if they want to…if there’s room you can come. So the rezoning is not necessary because you have a choice.”  Matt Tartaglia, a Dumbo resident of eight and a half years and the father of a three-year old, is also against the re-zoning at this time.  He reiterated that neither Farragut nor Dumbo families have had “a seat at the table” adding, “We [Dumbo parents] all chose a neighborhood to live in, mostly based [on] the public school. Now we’re being told we can’t send our kids to this school. But we all understand what wait lists are. We’re all adults. We all make decisions, we all plan around it. But by telling us that our kids don’t even have an option [of P.S. 8] isn’t fair. I urge all of you to think about this.”

NEXT STEPS:  

To re-iterate, the plan has not been officially endorsed by Superintendent Barbara Freeman yet.  Therefore, the 45-day voting clock has not started ticking.  The DOE, CEC and Superintendent Freeman are continuing to receive feedback. The public is encouraged to submit their comments, questions and concerns via the CEC webform.  Input will be sent to all parties simultaneously.  The next CEC meeting is Tuesday, October 20, 6:30 pm at P.S. 8, 37 Hicks St, Brooklyn, NY.

Full details of the re-zoning timeline, FAQ’s and a schedule of CEC meetings are available on the CEC website.  To receive regular updates from the CEC, enter your email address in the left side-bar of the CEC website.

CORRECTION: This post has been edited to reflect the correct spelling of CEC Member, Vascilla Caldeira’s name.

REVISION: This post has been revised to reflect that Councilman Levin was referring two two public community meetings and not the  private meeting held in February 2015 between the P.S. 8 PTA and The Office of Space Planning. (ASIDE: Representatives of incoming P.S. 8 parents had asked to be included in the February meeting but were not offered a place at the table at that time.  This correspondent referenced this meeting as an additional example of the DOE’s exclusion of key stakeholders).

DISCLOSURE: The author was an active member of a parent group that advocated for the 50 families wait-listed at P.S. 8.

As part of the month-long Celebr8 Reading initiative, P.S. 8 is is hosting Family Fun Shopping Day book fair this Saturday, October 3rd from Noon – 4:00 pm in the Lower School Auditorium.  ALL are welcome!

The sale offers titles from great publishers for families and classrooms and a portion of the proceeds go direclty to the PTA and toward funding of enrichment programs at the school.  The event also features author readings (including local, Mallory Kasdan), a bake sale and craft tables.

Module R, the groovy retailer at 141 Atlantic Avenue “dedicated to modern, modular design,” will host a fundraiser Wednesday, January 16, for the PTA of Brooklyn Heights’ PS/MS 8. The “Second Annual Wine and Whiskey Night” will feature European versus American wines and spirits, with a variety of “carefully selected” boozy delights provided by Gnarly Vines and hors d’oeuvres catered by Chez Moi.

The event takes place at the store from 7-10 p.m. Tickets are $40, and can be purchased at Module R or online.

If you missed it last month, Module-R owner/founder Donald Rattner was profiled in The L Magazine.