(See the bottom of the post for an afternoon update from the DOE)

Upper East Side families zoned for the long-shuttered elementary school PS 151 do not have a zoned school for their children and have instead been permitted to apply for seats at other Upper East Side elementary schools. This year, the process for these families has changed; the Department of Education plans to open a new school for the 151 zone in September.

Where the school will open, however, remains uncertain, say representatives of the DOE and local community leaders. Sites under consideration include an area parochial school, Our Lady of Good Counsel, and the basement classrooms at Wagner, a selective middle school of more than 1,300 students. Andrew Jacob of the DOE says the plan is that a "new school will incubate at a leased site," but "if we're unable to lease a site, the kindergarten classes will be located at Wagner in September."

The area under discussion for the new kindergarten at Wagner includes three basement classrooms and one unisex bathroom (with two stalls) on the basement floor. The rooms are adjacent to the middle school's music and band room, and their ceiling-height windows are level with the schoolyard. Students at the new kindergarten and the middle school would likely share a single entrance; it's not known how other spaces, such as the lunchroom, schoolyard, and gym, might be shared.

<!--more-->Upper East Side schools have grown increasingly overcrowded in recent years. A new school building underway for theEast Side Middle School(the site of a 2008 crane collapse) is expected to be ready for occupancy some time during late 2009, a move that will free space in PS 158, where the popular middle school is now housed.

In late 2007, a task force comprised of parents and school leaders met with the DOE to explore opening a new elementary school in the 151 zone. The plan developed at that time included restoring PS 66, which houses the Richard R. Green High School for Teaching, to an elementary school. The high school was to relocate uptown toIS 45. This plan was rescinded after parents and leaders at the high school objected to the relocation, and it now appears that the proposal to reopen PS 66 as an elementary school is no longer an option.

Parent leaders cite a "long history of ... frustration at inaction and unfulfilled promises of the DOE...urging parents to wait...and then taking no action, again and again and again." The new school, if it opens at Wagner, would have room for 75 kindergarten students -- far less than the 200+ children in the zone seeking placements. One parent expressed her frustration: "My four-year-old daughter is being used as a pawn in this political game."

DOE representatives say letters will go out to families with details on the new school but do not say when or offer particulars about a principal or school location. Add your comments and questions below, or log onto thisInsideschools forumto be part of the conversation.

UPDATE FROM DOE:

As was reported earlier today, Andy Jacob of the Department of Education said last week that PS 151's new kindergarten would open in Wagner come September unless a leased site was obtained. This afternoon, Jacob wrote in to amplify his earlier remarks: "If we're unable to lease a site, the 151 kindergarten classes will be located at a DOE site in September. Wagner is one possibility, but if we don't have a leased site by May, we'll begin discussions with parents about which DOE facility would be appropriate." He added, "In other words, I was incorrect when I said Wagner was definitely the alternative to a leased site. It's one possibility, but we won't make the decision without consulting with parents."

That Jacobs says "we'll begin discussions," though, is a puzzler: the DOE's been meeting with parents, politicians, and community advocates since late 2007 on the "where to site 151" question, giving rise to the DOE's own abandoned proposal to relocate Richard R. Green High School. So it's safe to say, the conversation is ongoing. Insideschools will report details as they're available and, Jacob says, letters explaining the situation to 151-zoned families should be mailed this week.