Upper West Side battle heats up
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Tonight’s CEC 3 meeting might include a showdown between parents and administrators from two different schools that share one overcrowded building, wrote Insideschools.org alumna Philissa Cramer on Gothamschools today. A CEC 3 proposal released last week suggested that the Center School, a small, unzoned middle school, move 14 blocks north to alleviate overcrowding in PS 199, a popular zoned elementary school, but parents and administrators at the Center School staunchly oppose the plan. The disagreement has taken a nasty tone, with fliers appearing outside the building calling the principal of Center School “a dictator, ” and Center School families claiming that racism might have motivated some PS 199 parents to push the middle school, which has a more diverse student body, out of the building. See the Gothamschools blog post, last week’s New York Times article or attend the meeting tonight to find out more.
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As a member of the Center School community who has been very involved with the CEC situation, and attended the charged meeting in question, let me make these points:
1) At a previous meeting, the DOE raised the idea of taking the open space to be created at PS 9 and creating a new 500-seat elementary school that would serve kids not only from the 199 catchment but from other UWS school catchments as well, alleviating the overcrowding throughout the larger community. The resolution being considered by the CEC helps only one school, PS 199, and seriously threatens another, The Center School. Why is the CEC not pushing the DOE to follow through on that far superior plan?
2) The Center School is a small school, only 200 kids, but has won virtually every award for fine education given in this nation, and manages to do that while accepting a broadly economically and racially diverse student body from all over District 3, from Riverside South to Harlem. Our school is constantly looked at as a model for how middle schools should work, not only by educators from around the city and country, but from around the world. A school like that should not be sacrificed when other options are available.
3) Moving Center School is a very short term solution. The rate of growth in the 199 catchment indicates that the Center School’s eight classrooms would be filled in two years, and then a new solution will need to be found. The CEC should be demanding that the DOE implement a new solution now and not sacrifice the success of The Center School.
4) The Center School population is the only bit of diversity at 270 West 70th Street. If the Center School is moved, that building will be a de-facto segregated building. Is that what we want to encourage in our district? How can the CEC justify a vote that creates such a situation?
5) There is a large but intimidated group of parents at PS 199 who heartily disagree with the movement to oust the Center School. They understand that growing their student body from 600-odd kids to over 800 kids puts a huge burden on the cafeteria, the library, the gym, the yard, and the administration—all of which are not in any way burdened by the presence of The Center School.
6) A huge contingent of people fighting to oust The Center School are parents of children not yet in the school system, and often not yet conceived. A fear-based campaign has been mounted to terrify these people into believing that their children are going to be ‘bussed’ into far-flung neighborhoods if The Center School remains in its home. That has never been discussed by anyone as an option. The proposed option of a new elementary school in the PS 9 building, which would help MANY overcrowded schools, would be a short walk or bus ride away, which many if not most UWS kids undertake happily to attend a good school. In addition, an influx of these active families into the under-utilized PS 191 would be a boon to that school’s community.
7) The CEC has already passed a resolution saying that the current plan is unacceptable. Nothing in the plan has changed, yet they are now passing a resolution in support. Why are they agreeing to accept a plan that they have already acknowledged is insufficient? Where is the pressure coming from?
Comment by Brian DeFiore — November 17, 2008 @ 10:42 am
Why is okay for younger students to travel the distance to attend school but not for the Center School middle school students - many of which are not from the neighborhood anyway. No, most UWS elementary kids would not like to take a walk or bus ride to go to school when they have a great neighborhood school in their CATCHMENT. This is not only a disservice to the younger students but a hardship on the parents who would need to accompany these younger students.
Middle schools do not have catchments. Many and most students already come from beyond the neighborhood to attend CS. The entire school would move and so the same school can exist in another location with the same teachers, principal, educational philosophies, and stellar record. No one is asking for the sacrifice of the school. A school that is so exemplary should be able to continue in that manner in a new loaction. The students of 199 (yes, even those not born yet if their families are living in the catchment) have the right to go to their neighborhood school. Denying them and asking them to travel to another location, does change the school they would go to, change the teachers, principal, educational philosophies, the opportunity to be in school with their neighbors and community (at utmost importance to many young children). Many families have chosen to live in this neighborhood (and some have stretched themselves financially to do so) for PS 199, much in the way you have chosen The Center School, because it is such a quality school. To tell them to go to another school is worse than asking you to move…CS students will still be at the school they chose, while the same is not the case for those denied admission to PS 199.
Finally, when more students than ever are in the NY public school system (with more likely to come in the current economic climate), small is no longer possible. I’m sure most schools would like to stay small but where would everyone go to school? You seem to want to stay in a place that you’ve already outgrown just so you can avoid what most other schools are having to adapt to- yes growth. As this overcrowding reaches crisis in the elementary schools, what do you think the future holds for middle schools? How can you expect to be exempt from the growth that ALL schools will need to adjust to in order accommodate this growth. Or are you once again going to continue your own self-serving practices so that your 200 students can be indulged while all other schools make sacrifices and adaptations.
Comment by District 3 Parent — November 22, 2008 @ 12:57 am
Small is possible - that is why it is so upsetting that the proposal to start another school k-8 in PS 9’s building was never fleshed out. There are many parents AND teachers at PS 199 who feel they don’t have the option of speaking out since Katy Rosen is standing alongside the PAC committee, backing what they contend is “the only solution”. That doesn’t seem like the only solution when you have children in 3rd & 4th grade - getting ready for middle school years. Kindergarten families are being VERY short-sighted, and don’t have any idea what 199 will be like when we get truly over-crowded by additional new buildings that will be occupied in 2009 - there will be no turning back though, and there will be no space left. This was our chance to fight for small schools (199, Center School, and a new school).We’ve been positioned as the enemy, but we are fighting a fight for all our children - for diversity, for quality education in a environment that best forsters learning, for equality for all schools, not just those with a parent body that can put in time and money - and for all grades, not just the happy-to-donate money kindergarten parents.
It certainly is a sad statement about a new generation of parents who can’t identify greed.
Comment by ps 199 parent — November 25, 2008 @ 1:14 pm
So well said. Not all of us 199 parents felt that the solution was to oust Center School. There were plenty of alternatives that needed to be explored that would have met the needs of everyone - not just those afraid of losing their property value.
Such a sad outcome for all involved.
Comment by still angry 199 parent — February 12, 2009 @ 7:19 pm