Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced earlier this afternoon that the city was nixing three district and three charter schools’ space-sharing plans, out of 49 approved since last October.
She said those decisions were based on four main criteria: their impact on programs serving students with disabilities, whether they would place elementary students in high school buildings, logistical concerns, and whether the proposed school would have fewer than 250 students.
“We set out consistent, objective criteria to protect school communities from unworkable outcomes,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement, adding that they rejected “those proposals that do not meet our values.”
Here’s the full list, with our notes on how they do or don’t meet those criteria:
1. Co-location of grades 5-8 of Success Academy – Harlem 4: axed
The building has a program for autistic and for emotionally disturbed students, and many speakers at the public hearing said the co-location could threaten that program. This would have put a middle school inside a building with two K-8 schools and another elementary school.
2. Opening of a new district middle school (04M204): axed
It’s unclear how this co-location meets the criteria. This would have put a new middle school inside a building with an elementary school. There was little public outcry, as only seven people spoke at the joint public hearing.
3. Expansion of Central Park East II from current K-5 to K-8 and co-location: axed
This would have added middle school grades to a building with elementary, middle, and high school students. It would have been a small school and made for a total of six schools in building. Some of the principals already in the building were opposed to the plan.
4. Opening of new district middle school (16K762): axed
It’s unclear how this co-location meets the criteria. It would have put a middle school into a building with elementary and middle school students, and there is no special program for students with disabilities. Only two people spoke at the public hearing.
5. Opening of Success Academy – New York 1 at Murry Bergtraum: axed
This would have put an elementary school into a high school building.
6. Opening of Success Academy – New York 5: axed
This also would have put an elementary school into a high school building. De Blasio submitted written testimony opposing the plan as public advocate.
7. Opening of a new 9-14 CTE high school (01M203): new site to be proposed
This would have added a high school to a building with another high school. Many from University Neighborhood opposed the plan.
8. Opening of new district high school at John Dewey High School: new site proposed
This would have added a high school to a building with another high school. There is a District 75 school for students with disabilities in building. There was a lot of community opposition, with 490 present at the public hearing, where many spoke in support of a comprehensive school—a concept Fariña favors.
9. Enrollment reduction and opening of new district CTE high school at Long Island City High School: enrollment reduction axed, new site proposed for CTE school
This also would have added a high school to a building with another high school with a District 75 school for students with disabilities in building. Long Island City High School is already at 117 percent of target enrollment, and the plan to decrease its enrollment would have been another blow to a comprehensive neighborhood school. De Blasio personally expressed concern about Spanish-language outreach as public advocate.
10. American Dream Charter School: reduced in size
The original plan would have left the school building between 114 and 135 percent capacity in 2016-17.
“We will take this setback as an opportunity to prove our value to the community and this administration,” Principal Melissa Melkonian said in a statement.
No decision yet: Co-location of Explore Exceed grades 6-8, expansion of Clinton Academy from 6-8 to 6-12, co-location extension of M.S. 311, which were all approved to open in fall 2015.
Untouched: These aren’t the only space proposals that will go into effect in 2014-15. More than a dozen were passed before last October, including three Success Academy schools.
One, Success Academy Charter School – Harlem 2 (grades 5-8), will be a middle school in a building with middle and high school grades, though a spokesman for the Department of Education said today that one of the department’s beliefs is that high school campuses should serve high school students. (High school and middle school students in one building is still a much more common arrangement than high school and elementary school students in one building.)