Metro

City moves ahead with co-location in PS 9 — despite state order

So much for beating City Hall.

The Department of Education is bouncing back from a state reversal that killed its plans to jam a charter school into PS 9-MS 571 school building on Underhill Avenue — and has a new proposal showing how three schools and more than 900 students can all learn under one roof in harmony.

The city had received the go ahead to put the Brooklyn East Collegiate Charter School, currently located in Crown Heights, into the building shared by PS 9 and MS 571 between Bergen Street and St. Marks Avenue, but state Education Commissioner David Steiner put the kibosh on the plan last month, siding with parents about how students would share common areas like the gym, library and cafeteria http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/34/14/dtg_ms571saved_2011_4_8_bk.html.

But according to the city’s new plan, which was announced on Friday, a special “building council” made up of all three school principals will be empaneled to smooth out any space concerns as they pop up.

“We think the new proposal is in line [with what everyone wants],” Department of Education spokesman Jack Zarin-Rosenfeld.

The city ordered MS 571 closed after students scored in the bottom 10 percent on math tests, and the bottom two percent on English tests in recent years. MS 571 also earned a D grade on its latest city progress report.

The city wants to have the charter inside the Underhill Avenue school building by September. It will ultimately take up the space MS 571 leaves behind, but all three schools will be in session until 2013 as the middle school is slowly phased out.

PS 9 parents fearing that the school will be dangerously overcrowded were surprised by the quick comeback that cut their victory over City Hall short.

“It’s only been a week and they’re back,” said Faye Rimalovski, who said she cried with joy when Commissioner Steiner stopped the charter school move. “It’s disheartening.”

Looking ahead to another brawl with the Department of Education, Rimalovski and other school stakeholders vowed to do whatever they can to stop the city from going ahead with its plans.

“I’m hopeful that [the city] will listen to us and not move forward,” Rimalovski said. “But when it comes to your children, you’re willing to do everything and anything you can to do what you believe is right.”

Councilwoman Letitia James (D-Fort Greene) agreed.

“PS 9 has achieved magnificent things and should be given an opportunity to expand,” James said. “But it’s evident that the city will continue to advance its agenda and impede the school’s growth.”

A public hearings on the new proposal for PS 9 will take place at the school in early May, but no date has been scheduled. The city’s Panel for Educational Policy will vote on the city’s revised plans on May 18.

The Panel for Educational Policy vote on the issue at Long Island City High School [14-30 Broadway between Justice Avenue and 51st Avenue in Queens, (212) 374-0208] on May 18 at 6 pm. The proposal can be found at the Department of Education’s website at http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/leadership/PEP/publicnotice/2010-2011/May182011Proposals.

ttracy@cnglocal.com