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Schools

Panel Votes To Close M.S. 571, Replaces with Charter School to Share Space with P.S. 9

The Panel for Educational Policy voted to close M.S. 571, replacing the middle school with Brooklyn East Collegiate Charter School.

In a marathon hearing that was as spirited as it was chaotic, the Panel for Educational Policy voted to close M.S. 571 last night, approving a to replace the ailing middle school with a charter school.

The decision elicited a chorus of jeers from assembled parents, whose school currently shares space with M.S. 571 at 80 Underhill Avenue.

This fall, Brooklyn East Collegiate Charter School will move in, sharing the building with the two schools.

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“I am not shocked,” said P.S. 9 parent Erica Herman as she walked out of the auditorium of Brooklyn Technical High School after the panel’s vote.

The early morning vote passed 8 to 4 after a defeated attempt by panel member Gbubemi Okotieuro, of Brooklyn, to postpone the vote. In total, the panel approved 20 resolutions that closed 13 schools and colocated numerous others in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan.

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“These are never early decisions and a great deal of time and thought and angst has gone into them,” said New York City Schools Chancellor Cathie Black, “and we feel that we have come out in the right place.”

Late last year, the New York City Department of Education identified more than 20 low-performing schools citywide planned for closure. The schools, like M.S. 571, were declared “” by the department of education.

The announcement angered parents of students at failing schools, who accused the department of education of not providing the resources needed to succeed. Parents and students organized, protesting and attending . 

Thursday night, the hearing repeatedly grinded to a halt as parents shouted down panel members, chanting “let us grow” and waving signs amid a cacophony of some 2,000 screaming parents, students and public officials.

Councilwoman Letitia James, a vocal opponent of the plan to close M.S. 571, urged parents to calm down before she addressed the panel, accusing the department of education of setting up schools to fail. 

“The reality was that you knew that 571 and all these schools were going to fail way back when and you did nothing, nothing, nothing about it,” said James, of the 35th district.

For the next two years, P.S. 9 will share the building with two other schools as M.S. 571 phases out and Brooklyn East, an Uncommon Schools member, moves in. Parents argue that housing an additional school in the building will place undue strain on shared facilities — like the gymnasium and library — and prevent the P.S. 9 from expanding to meet a growing need.

“It is very disappointing to see a school that has made such wonderful strides and attracted the community to be treated like this,” said Rebecca Shulman Herz, a parent of two P.S. 9 students.

At full population, Brooklyn East will take over 13 classrooms on the second floor of the building, teaching nearly double the amount of students in the same space currently occupied by the smaller M.S. 571.

P.S. 9 will remain on the ground and first floors of the building, occupying 36 classrooms and growing to serve some 700 students, according to the department plan.

“They will more effectively use the same space that M.S. 571 is currently using,” said Paymon Rouhanifard, an official in the department’s portfolio department. “We believe Uncommon Schools is one of the most successful models in the city.”

Uncommon Schools officials explained that many of their charter schools are co-located in district buildings, and their schools’ schedules are structured to allow ample access to shared spaces.

“We are very flexible and we are very efficient,” said Brooklyn East Principal Eric Green, adding that Brooklyn East’s sister school, Williamsburg Collegiate Charter School, has 300 students eat lunch in half an hour.

“There are a thousand schools in the city and a huge number of them share space,” said Laura Lee McGovern, chief executive officer of the Collegiate Network for Uncommon Schools. “Right now, P.S. 9 and M.S. 571 share space and it is working fine.”

Brooklyn East will move into 80 Underhill Avenue at the start of the 2011-2012 school year, housing 160 students in grades five and six. Next year, M.S. 571 will stop admitting sixth grade students. By the 2013-2014 school year, M.S. 571 will close entirely as Brooklyn East reaches a full population of some 350 students.

Many P.S. 9 parents expected the panel to vote the closure and co-location through. But the battle, they said, is far from over.

“The P.E.P. has a reputation as a rubber stamp authority,” said William Clark, parent of a first grader at P.S. 9. “I don’t think people are going to take it.”

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