An unprecedented demand for public-school seats is compelling the city to reopen an Upper East Side elementary school closed eight years ago for low enrollment.
The long-sought resolution will let kids zoned for PS 151 stay in the neighborhood rather than enter a lottery and risk busing to nearby sites.
“I could not be happier. The [Department of Education] recognized that they need a solution beyond the lottery,” said Lori Levin, a parent in a group that also includes DOE and elected officials and has met for months over the issue.
This is the second resolution in two weeks to a kindergarten crunch that sent Manhattan parents into a panic after hundreds of kids landed on wait lists. The city last week erased a 90-student wait list at PS 3 and PS 41 in Greenwich Village by securing space nearby.
Still, as many as 150 Upper East Side kids continue to await word on whether they’ll be able to attend their neighborhood schools.
“This is just one piece of the puzzle,” said City Councilwoman Jessica Lappin. “There’s no question it’s a big piece, but we have a ways to go.”