Upper West Side School Board Ignores Angry Parents, Submits Plan to Desegregate Schools

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The Upper West Side's school board, otherwise known as the Community Education Council (CEC) for District 3, revealed its stance Tuesday on a controversial rezoning plan that would attempt to racially de-segregate the district by re-distributing kids between elementary schools — and it looks like two of the most vocal contingents who've been opposing the process are not going to be happy.

In a letter addressed to NYC Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña, the Upper West Side school board outlined its ideal rezoning plan and urged the Department of Education (DOE) to adopt it as-is.

The plan would entirely relocate PS 452 on West 77th Street, which is at max capacity, to the building currently occupied by PS 191 — a school full of students from the Amsterdam Houses, a nearby public-housing project. PS 191 would then get a brand-new building within the Riverside Center, a fancy new development a couple blocks south. Then, perhaps most controversially, all future schoolkids living in three of eight buildings in the high-end Lincoln Towers community (165 West End Avenue, 185 West End Avenue and 205 West End Ave.) would be directed to attend PS 191 as their default campus, instead of PS 199, where all their Lincoln Towers peers would still go to school.

Current students would not have to move schools, nor would their younger siblings.

"CEC3 strongly believes that a final zoning plan must relieve and prevent overcrowding; make our school populations more diverse and begin to address a segregated school system; and put all of our schools in the best position to succeed," the school board's letter said.

"Accordingly, we respectfully request that DOE immediately move to formally present the following for District 3’s consideration," the letter said.

Two especially angry camps of rezoning opponents have emerged throughout the planning process: Those who see the "fracturing" of the Lincoln Towers community as inhumane and "inconceivable," and those who don't want PS 452 moved 20 blocks south to Amsterdam Houses vicinity.

Both camps are likely grabbing their pitchforks Tuesday in preparation for the fight ahead.

The local school board dropped its 11-page letter just one day before the DOE was set to present its final rezoning plan for District 3. In light of the CEC's letter the DOE will no longer present a plan on Wednesday, DOE spokeswoman Toya Holness told Patch.

But it's worth mentioning that because the DOE's plan must be given a final OK by the school board, the DOE will likely adopt many of the recommendations in Tuesday's letter in its final draft.

“We value the CEC’s leadership and partnership, and will continue to solicit feedback, host meetings and engage in robust conversations as we work to submit a final proposal that best serves all of the students and families in District 3," Holness said in a statement sent to Patch.

The DOE started revealing plans in July to rezone Upper West Side elementary schools for the 2017 school year. The rezoning plans had two main objectives: to solve districtwide overcrowding and increase diversity in neighborhood schools. So far, the DOE has revealed three draft scenarios during public meetings.

But specific aspects of all three plans have been harshly criticized by neighborhood parents. Most parents insisted they were for desegregating schools and solving overcrowding — just not at their personal expense and the expense of their kids.

Upcoming hearings on the zoning issue will be held Wednesday, Oct. 19, Saturday, Oct. 29, and Tuesday, Nov. 1. (Times and locations here.) The CEC plans to present the DOE's finalized plan to the public on Nov. 3, then take a vote on Nov. 9.

Here is the full letter from CEC to the DOE:

Editor's Note: This post has been updated to include additional details. Lead photo by Brendan Krisel/Patch