The CEC 15 and Department of Education held another community meeting on June 9th to recap the final research outcome of the PAR team and present a final rezoning map for the rezoning of 7 elementary schools in District 15 including P.S. 38, P.S. 261, P.S. 32, P.S. 15, P.S. 29, P.S. 58 and P.S. 676 Red Hook Neighborhood School. The CEC plans to vote on this rezoning on June 15th. This rezoning will affect Kindergarten & Pre-K admissions for school year 2022/23.
- The final rezoning map is the same as the draft map from the last meeting on May 11th. Each school will keep a school zone, some zones will be decreased, some increased
- The DOE expects enrollment to recover in the long-term despite short-term enrollment decline in some schools due to the COVID crisis and continues to see the need to decrease the school zones for PS 29 and PS 58
- The set-aside of 30% of seats at all schools for NYCHA residents, English Language Learners, low-income students and students living in temporary housing has received positive feedback across the board and will grant more diverse school communities
- PS 676 Red Hook Neighborhood School will be turned into a middle school. Beginning 22/23 school year a middle school grade will be added every year for the new middle school with maritime focus. All residents in Red Hook will have access to PS 15 in Red Hook.
Who will be impacted by this rezoning
Background
The Department of Education has been partnering with CEC 15 and school communities since spring 2019 to develop a collaborative rezoning and admissions plan that aims to increase diversity and integration, reduce overcrowding, and advance equity in District 15. The process was initiated by the opening of the annex at PS 32 in Carroll Gardens that brought over 430 new seats to the Subdistrict and needs to be filled.
This planning has involved seven zoned schools: P.S. 38, P.S. 261, P.S. 32, P.S. 15, P.S. 29, P.S. 58 and P.S. 676 Red Hook Neighborhood School. In response to feedback from community discussions, the DOE committed to further empowering historically underserved communities in this area through a Participatory Action Research (PAR) process.
