After approving 19 school closures in January and 16 colocations in February, the Panel for Education Policy will vote on more than a dozen school utilization changes in March and April. Eleven co-locations plans and six school re-siting proposals, which would affect schools in three boroughs, are up for approval by the PEP

Among the Manhattan schools affected are District 2's Clinton School for Writers and Artists and District 3's new PS 452 on the Upper West Side. In a March 5 announcement, that took the school by surprise, the DOE changed its plans to move the Clinton School from its 30-year home in PS 11 to nearby PS 33, and instead move Clinton into the building housing the American Sign Language and Dual Language School, known as PS 47.

The new plan came just three days after Elizabeth Rose of the DOE's portfolio office met with Clinton parents and told them the school would definitely be moving to PS 33. That proposal drew criticism because it would displace a special education program, PS 138. The latest proposal was submitted just under the wire to conform with a chancellor's regulation that requires any change in location to be publicized six months before the start of the school year, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Clinton parents.<!--more-->"The third EIS (educational impact statement) in as many months is obviously a rush job, " said Susan Kramer, the parent head of the relocation committee at Clinton. "There has been no consultation with the principals beforehand. The DOE has not taken the time to have a thoughtful plan."

The plan would move Clinton from its Chelsea location across town to Gramercy Park, into a smaller space with fewer classrooms than it has now.Kramer said Clinton parents would like to work with PS 11 and "take this coming year, where there is not quite as much pressure on PS 11, to make a thoughtful plan."

According to Kramer, at PS 11, which gets funding to keep class size small, the average class size is 20.3. At Clinton, average class size is 32, typical of many middle schools. Compounding space issues, the number of gifted and talented classes at PS 11 has grown to two classes on each grade, some of them with as few as 16 or 17 students, she said. "This small class size is cannibalizing the school," she said.

According to the DOE's proposal, Clinton would remain at 47 for four years, while the School Construction Authority negotiates a site for a new facility.

Meanwhile, Quest to Learn a new middle school of 78 students that "incubated" in the 47 building for the 2009-10 school year, would move west to the Bayard Rustin complex, pending the panel's approval.If that proposal goes through, seven schools would share the Bayard Rustin building: Hudson High School of Learning Technologies, set to open in 2010; Manhattan Business, which opened in 2009; and established high schools Landmark, James Baldwin and Humanities Prep. In addition there are students still enrolled at the host school Bayard Rustin, due to close in 2012.

The Quest to Learn school move is to be voted on at the March 23 meeting on Staten Island, while the Clinton move is up for approval April 20. Hearings on the Clinton-47 co-location are scheduled for April 8 at PS 11, and Apr 14 at PS 47. E-mail comments on the Quest to Learn proposal or leave a phone message at 718-935- 4414. E-mail comments on Clinton or leave a phone message at 718-935-4415.

Upper West Side

Confirming what was reported at a District 3 meeting in January PS 452 will open with a kindergarten in 2010 in the MS 44 building, AKA the William O'Shea complex, on the Upper West Side.MS 44 is phasing out and will graduate its last class in June 2011. In addition to 44, the building now houses the Computer School, a long time occupant, Anderson, the citywide gifted and talented school -- new in that location in September 2009, and West Prep Academy a brand new middle school which opened in September, 2010.

Anderson, which had planned to continue its expansion to three classes per grade, must now scale back to two classes for incoming kindergartners. Also to accommodate PS 452, West Prep is scheduled to move to another location in September 2011 or 2012.You can read the Educational Impact Statement at the DOE website and submit written comments or call 718-935-4415 to leave a message For more information, contact Kim Wong, Portfolio@schools.nyc.gov, Phone: 212-374-5049

Also up for approval:

In District 6, the currently split sites of Hamilton Heights will be combined and re-located to PS 153, which will gradually reduce its enrollment by refusing admission to non-zoned families. E-mail comments or call 718-935-4415.

Queens Gateway to Health Sciences Secondary School will add a 6th grade when it moves to its new facility next year. The building, at 160-20 Goethals Avenue in District 25, will also house a special education program. E-mail comments to D28Proposals@schools.nyc.gov or leave a voice mail message, 718-935-4198.

For details on all the changes scheduled for a vote at the April 20 PEP meeting, check the PEP link at the Department of Education website and read the Educational Impact Statement. You may submit written comments or call 718-935-4415 to leave a messageFor questions and for additional information, contact the Office of Portfolio Planning, 52 Chambers St. E-mail: Portfolio@schools.nyc.gov, Phone: 212-374-5049. Ask for the official in charge of planning for your borough.