Proposed changes in District 2 zoning attracted at least 100 parents on Monday night to the first of several meetings held to hear community concerns about new catchment areas for its popular downtown and Upper East Side schools. Parents have long been concerned with overcrowding and now that two new schools -- PS 276, the Battery Park City School and PS 397, Spruce Street School -- have been added downtown, rezoning is needed to allocate students among them. Rezoning is a temporary fix while several plans for middle schools and other new sites are still in planning stages.

A Power Point presentation given by Elizabeth Rose of the Department of Education's Office of Portfolio and Planning emphasized four things about the proposed rezoning of District 2. First, she said, there are enough seats. Second, current students and younger sibling priority rights are important to District 2residents and will be protected by the DOE. Third, the DOE welcomes any and all feedback before voting on a final plan. And finally, it is impossible to make everyone happy.<!--more-->

District 2's Community Education Council is holding a series of public hearings on the proposed rezoning of Lower Manhattan and Upper East Side district boundaries. The Department of Education released two proposals for the rezoning of each neighborhood. The meetings begin with a brief presentation of the proposals, followed by public comment. Each speaker is allotted two minutes. Priority is given to those who call ahead to reserve time.

Proposals involving PS 89, PS 234, PS 276, and PS 397 were discussed on Nov. 30 and will be discussed again on Dec. 9. Meetings about PS 6, PS 59, PS 151, PS 158, PS 183, PS 198, and PS 290 are scheduled for Dec. 2 and 10. See ourcalendar for details.The CEC will assess public feedback and draft revisions to present at its Dec. 16 monthly meeting. Resolution and voting will occur by January at the latest -- as kindergarten intake begins Feb. 1 -- and runs through March 12.

The proposed rezoning plans can be found on the District 2 Community Education Council website, along with Emily Rose's November presentation.

A January 20 hearing at Greenwich Village Middle School and another on January 21 at 26 Broadway, are planned to discuss the proposed move of Greenwich Village Middle school to 26 Broadway.