A rendering of the new school via Dattner Architects.
Dozens of new families are now zoned for elementary school PS 191, which will open in a new building on 61st Street and West End Avenue next year. Principal Lauren Keville plans to lay out her vision for the school on Monday night, and is hoping parents who are considering the school attend the meeting.
Please join CB 7’s Education Committee for a special curriculum discussion with PS 191’s principal, Lauren Keville, on Monday, December 19th at 6:30 pm at PS 191 on 210 W. 61st. This will be an exciting opportunity for the community to meet Lauren and hear about the educational vision and programming that Lauren and her teachers are implementing today as well as new programs and curriculum enhancements that will coincide with the school’s move into its new facility. We encourage everyone in the community to join us and be part of this discussion.
Some parents have expressed skepticism about the school for the last few years because of its low test scores, and because the school was previously designated “persistently dangerous”. But the rezoning plan approved by the local school board last month, and the new school opening on West End, mean that PS 191 will be very different come next year.
Previous zoning lines meant PS 191 students mostly came from the Amsterdam Houses project, and students tended to have higher needs than kids in the wealthier areas of the neighborhood. The new zoning lines mean the new school should be more diverse — presuming students from wealthier families attend the school, only 15-20% of the students will be eligible for free and reduced lunch, according to the Department of Education. The new building also has some of the nicest amenities of any local school, from science and art rooms to rooftop recreation areas.
PS191 is currently predominantly “low income” students.
Under this new reasoning plan the percentage of low income students at the new PS 199 will only be 15-20%.
What will happen when the academic scores of these low income kids lag the scores of the middle class kids at the school?
Will there be protests against the racism at PS 199?
Will all the liberal politicians create committees and order investigations as to why these test scores lag?
Stay tuned….
Except they forgot to mention that two grants promised to 191 have now been redirected to the new 452 – the media room and the library.
And so it begins….
The media room at the Amsterdam avenue space was already completed a couple years ago. And I assume the new building will have a library. So it’s still important for the Amsterdam Ave building to build a library
why would 191 in the fancy new building need a grant for a media room or library? These grants staying with the old building makes sense.
Really the new building is going to make it better? Tons of wealthy families have been zoned to 191 since the 2008 rezoning and no one enrolled in the school.
Of course they took it off the persistently dangerous list – otherwise parents would be able to refuse to go and the city would have to place them elsewhere. Is the school really no longer dangerous?
Doubt it…but as soon as Kim Watkins and the other CEC members enroll their kids, maybe others will. But that will never happen.
I guess this is the “sell” the school phase that Kim kept mentioning. Hey I gotta bridge to sell you too.
Too little and way, way too late in this process. With only a few days notice during holiday season with difficult scheduling to boot.
It’s comically sad – promoted as hearing about the “Amazing, Fantastic, Wonderful Educational Vision”. Adjective overcompensation?
The CEC is trying desperately to reach out to those effected to try and attend this session. Foolishly asking Helen Rosenthal for help as well. If only that type of effort and reach out was done during the actual process to form a real zoning plan for success.
And odd to see the CB7 promoting this, given their previous stance that this was not their jurisdiction.
Given the unique circumstances, and if legal compliance gives it a green light, DOE should consider some way to tie prek spots at PS 191 to those kids enrolling in K/1st as well (by parents agreeing to waive the normal school selection process for K/1st years).
A temporary measure only, for a few years at best, but it could guarantee a critical mass of UMC kids, and would signal to wavering UMC families in the zone that the school change is real.