
By Gus Saltonstall
Few groups bond as tightly as school communities. And often, for children, parents, and teachers, a school building and yard are like a second home.
This is especially true of West Prep Academy, a middle school on West 105th Street that was instrumental in creating the school’s unique and acclaimed playground and schoolyard. Shared with the P.S. 145 Bloomingdale elementary school, West Prep’s current building has not just a large yard, it has the Bloomingdale Inclusive Park and Playground, with state-of-the-art equipment designed specifically for children of all abilities and needs.
West Prep Academy currently serves around 170 sixth through eighth graders, including children from the Department of Education’s Autism Nest Program. Thirty percent of its students come from the nearby New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Frederick Douglass Houses. More than 40 percent of West Prep’s student body is made up of special-education students, which contributed to the site being selected for the accessible playground.

All of these factors make it harder for West Prep families to accept a pending Department of Education (DOE) proposal to move the school to a new facility three blocks away, which has no dedicated outdoor space at all.
The proposal calls for West Prep to move into the now-shuttered and empty Ascension School building, at 220 West 108th Street, in time for the 2024-25 school year.
Nicole Millan, the parent of a student with a disability within the community, centered her opposition to the move on the importance of consistency for this population.
“West Prep is the only ASD [Autism Nest Program] middle school in District 3 and to move [it] would traumatize an already vulnerable school community,” she wrote in a letter to the DOE. “Maintaining the correct environment to foster the social-emotional, academic, and sensory-integrating environment required by the ASD Nest Program is integral to an autistic scholar’s development.”
In the new building, West Prep Academy would go from having a portion of one floor to having five floors for itself. The added space would allow room for both West Prep and P.S. 145 to grow their enrollments, the DOE contended.
But the West Prep Academy community is adamant that it does not need the extra space, nor does it want to uproot its student community from its 13-year home.
“We never asked for more space,” Cidalia Costa, a faculty member at West Prep Academy, told West Side Rag. “Our children are thriving in our beautiful space that we helped build.”
Current students share the sentiment.
“I feel like we should stay here and not relocate because we have a lot of access to things that are useful, such as a yard, gym, garden, sports teams,” Taylan, a 7th grader at West Prep Academy said during a meeting earlier in January with District 3 Superintendent Kamar Samuels at the current school, as seen in a video shown to the Rag. “In the football league, there would be no point in joining, because we could never practice. We have an upcoming baseball team. How would we practice? How is this fair to the student athletes?”
India, another 7th grader at the school, wrote in a letter to Samuels that she worried about the students’ well-being without a proper outdoor space. “If students don’t get to play outside, it can distract them from learning,” she said.
But there is a caveat, according to the DOE. Page 10 of the department’s proposal says if the relocation is approved, “the West Prep community may continue to have access to the outdoor space and auditorium at M145 [the 105th Street building].”
Cidalia, the West Prep Academy faculty member, called the offer like “rubbing salt on a wound.”
“For an adult to walk the distance between the proposed building and our building, it takes at least eight to 10 minutes,” she told the Rag. “We would have to take a field trip, it becomes incredibly challenging when you’re walking a distance with many children, some of whom are special needs.”
Rita Genn, a founder of the Bloomingdale Inclusive Park and Playground and a current co-director of the group that oversees it, told West Side Rag that Community Board 7 selected 150 West 105th Street as the site for the playground, “primarily because of West Prep and P.S. 145.” Genn is a former member of the board.
The Ascension School building also does not have a separate auditorium; its auditorium is shared with the gym.
“I believe this decision may have significant consequences on our academic performances, and I would like to bring some specific concerns to your attention,” 7th grader Amir wrote in a letter to the DOE, shared by West Prep Academy faculty with the Rag. “The absence of a separate auditorium in the new location may hinder the opportunities to expand our programs and keep the programs we currently have.”
Asked for comment about the relocation and the pushback from West Prep parents and children, a spokesperson for the DOE told West Side Rag in an email, “Both West Prep Academy and P.S.145 have seen an increase in enrollment and need space to grow.” DOE’s statement noted that the move was still only a proposal, “and we are continuing to engage the community and gather feedback before there is a final decision.”
P.S. 145’s enrollment rose from 400 in 2018-19 to 458 in 2022-23, while West Prep Academy enrollment dropped from 204 to 168 in the same time frame, according to data from the DOE.
P.S. 145 did not respond to the Rag’s request for comment.

Following a walk through of the Ascension building last month that left members of the West Prep Academy community questioning the condition of the building, the DOE has said it will make upgrades to the property, including adding a science lab and “extensively enhancing” the building to meet safety standards.
The Ascension building has already been acquired by the School Construction Authority, though, and is expected to be ready with the upgrades by the start of the 2024-25 school year.
Timeline of Communication
In spring of 2023, the city’s Department of Space and Facilities visited the West 105th Street building to assess the level of available space.
Shortly after this visit, a DOE employee wrote in an email obtained by the West Side Rag that it found “neither P.S. 145 nor West Prep” was “operating with excess space,” but that the elementary school “has been and continues to be able to accommodate” the demand for students.
In December, members of both the West Prep Academy and P.S. 145 communities were informed that the DOE was formulating a proposal for the middle school to be moved to the empty Ascension School building.
A multitude of meetings and walkthroughs were held over the next two months, including between members of both school communities and the Department of Education to discuss the proposed move.
The official proposal came on January 26, 2024, and this time deployed stronger language about the amount of available room within the current West 105th Street building.
“This proposed re-siting will allow both schools to meet demand, continue to grow, and have access to the space they need to serve all of their students,” the proposal read. It also stated that both West Prep Academy and P.S. 145 “do not have the full complement of instructional, specialty, and/or administrative spaces they are entitled to based on current enrollment and programming.”
West Prep Academy parents are scheduled to meet Superintendent Samuels on Friday, and a joint public hearing on the proposed move will be held in the coming weeks. The Panel for Educational Policy, appointed by city officials, is scheduled to take a final vote on the move at its meeting during the last week of March. The panel has final say on whether a school relocation takes place.
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PS 145 also serves children in families at the VOA Regent Family shelter on 104th Street
Why didn’t ps 145 comment? Shelter families attend both schools.
Hi Lisa e. I think you might have missed the whole point of the article. Just to recap; it was not about the school, or any school serving children and families at the VOA Regent Family Shelter, it was about an entire thriving school community being displaced against their will based on reasons that are not actually valid just because others feel they are more deserving of the space that was actually created by the school being pushed out. That’s it in a nutshell. Blessings!!
Ps 145/WPA parent here: Every school in this neighborhood serves children from the shelter. How does this add to the article’s topic that a school is being moved and has not said they have issues?
PS 145,
Personally I think it is always helpful for readers to have information in any article.
The article and comments are helpful for readers who are not at the schools
It is in middle school that students make decisions about furthering their education. To relocate these adolescents to a space that is less than what they already have and what they need for development is essentially saying to them that their education is not important. In this case, its like a land appropriation where neighborhood children are being displaced for the sake of out of zone, out of district children.
To be fair, when the Russian dual language program was placed at 145, it was because 145 was chronically underenrolled so it had the space. No one could have anticipated that NYC would become the epicenter of an international refugee crisis and that 145 would be educating so many migrant children.
I’m sorry, to be Fair to who? The families outside of the zone/district or the families/children who are part of the community and being pushed out of the space that they created and improved for over a decade? 3-K and multiple pre-Ks are not a requirement, they are luxuries and do not have to take up space in this school tossing black and brown children from a safe and welcoming space they love!! So please you’re right, To be fair….. !!
and to piggy back on this families that are not only out of the zone/district but adding programs for them that are not actual requirements, like 3-K and multiple pre-K classes and a second dual language program that the neighborhood families don’t even speak. Imagine how these middle school children feel being tossed away so others can have luxuries. Please make it make sense!!
To clarify, and a bit of history…
75% of P.S. 145 are black and brown students. 34% of its students are in temporary housing. The majority of the monolingual classrooms are ICT, serving many special needs children with IEPs. The school had been politically rezoned over the years, further damaging its enrollment.
The school brought in several dual language programs to improve enrollment after trying many other strategies including magnet status. Those programs have since proven to attract more zoned families back to P.S. 145 and the outcome benefits children across all programs, most recently including implementing language instruction for those outside of its dual language programs. There are zoned students enrolled in both the SDLP and RDLP program. Additionally, both programs have served as a safe haven and first line of support for our newest New Yorkers, most recently asylum seekers from South America and war refugees from Eastern Europe.
The early childhood program is one of few offered in the district with both 3K and PreK seats. It is in high demand for local, working families in need of free childcare. Some of the school’s most tenured teachers have lead this program, nurturing its youngest scholars and providing support that encourages families to continue on at the school.
P.S. 145 has been the zoned neighborhood school for decades and has seen many challenges over time, always pushing through to provide for its community. The current faculty is dedicated and determined to provide support and success for every student that walks through its doors no matter where they are from. Test scores have improved nearly 50% in the last 10 years. It is a richly diverse community. The potential for its growth and to serve more zoned students is a welcomed opportunity for the Bloomingdale neighborhood, and something to take pride in.
Two great schools, not enough space. As we begin to see these closures and mergers come down the pipeline, we should be advocating for all children at 105th street to get the best out of what’s to come. We must value all the people inside these schools, and focus our energy on pushing the DOE to do better by all our children in the NYC public school system.
Thank you for the very helpful and interesting information. Your final sentence is the most important one – let’s raise everyone up.
One point of clarification. You say it is highly diverse. I would argue that it is quite homogenous. A school that is almost all minority students is not diverse.
Schools that are barely majority white and have 40+ percent minority are demonized and called segregated. Yet they are the ones that are truly diverse as students of numerous backgrounds are interacting. Even the most white schools on the UWS are more diverse than 99% of the schools in America and most of the schools in NYC that are overwhelmingly minority.
Exactly what you said (below) and exactly why ps-145 should stop pushing West Prep out and instead fight for them and support them in having a space that is equitable, not a dilapidated rundown church space. Do you believe what you said? Have you rallied for them? They say the space is good enough for West Prep but oddly not suitable for 145?
“We must value all the people inside these schools, and focus our energy on pushing the DOE to do better by all our children in the NYC public school system. “
Perhaps, if PS145 needs more space they should happily go to the proposed new location. All promises have been made that it will be good for West Prep so why not for the higher enrolled school?
PS 145 is the zoned public school. Moving a zoned school requires legality and rezoning. PS 165 is the elementary school across the street from Ascension currently serving that zone. Both elementary schools are Title I schools serving their neighborhoods underserved residents. Moving PS 145 would eliminate an elementary school in this zone. Ascension was a K-8 school operating until June 2023, serving both elementary and middle school students. It is currently undergoing significant structural renovations to make needed updates. It is a viable option for either age group and the space has been sought after by other middle and elementary schools both charter and public. This issue is not who should have the space or who the space would be good for, it’s how to most efficiently alleviate the space constraints at 105th street, according to the DOE. Again, a decision that is assessed and proposed solely by the DOE.
Ultimately decided by the PEP who has a member who has not only initiated this proposal based on made up scenarios and leverage with the DOE but has been pushing his agenda which is an outrageous conflict of interest .
If a space was proposed that was equal to if not better that would be a different story. Nothing about the space is equitable. 🙏🏼
Ultimately decided by the PEP who has a member who has not only initiated this proposal based on made up scenarios and leverage with the DOE but has been pushing his agenda which is an outrageous conflict of interest .
If a space was proposed that was equal to if not better that would be a different story. Nothing about the space is equitable. 🙏🏼
Shame on DOE. Again.
The school also has a petition to halt this process so that the community can truly be involved in the process of decision making. This decision violates the Chancellor’s own pillar of partnership with parents.
https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-displacement-of-west-prep-children?redirect=false
This is one of several changes planned for District 3 schools for the next school year or the one after. The DOE also wants to expland Mott Hall II into a 6-12 program and move it from 109th Street to the PS 76 building on 121 and AC Powell. This would mean closing 76 entirely and moving the District 79 school also in that building.
The bottom line is that there are many programs in the district that are underenrolled, and the end game is almost certainly to start closing smaller programs and growing more succesful ones. This is going to involve a lot of shufling people around, and some folks are opposed to the changes. If the community wants more influence over the decisions, they should be outspoken in their requests for changes to Mayoral control over the schools. While nobody sane wants a return to the days of the Board of Ed, as long the PEP is majority mayoral-appointees, they will rubber stamp almost anything that gets proposed.
I heard Mott Hall wants to move. West Prep doesn’t want to move and didn’t ask to move. Our school is a model program the only ASD Nest program in D3. We need accessibility the opportunity for better resources. The current location was updated by West Prep. This move is inequitable for our children and their needs.
The ASD Nest program currently services 5 students. Many more families in the district could benefit from the program and need an environment like the one WP provides. Given the current space constraints, there is no more room for growth of this wonderful program. The potential to expand programming for ASD and other children with disabilities while remaining close by in the neighborhood is something many of these families in this position would argue is a positive. Especially those to soon graduate P.S. 145.
With MH2 relocating much further uptown (whose school leader wanted the Ascension building) this change would continue to provide children in the immediate neighborhood another great middle school option in WP. As opposed to the school remaining in its current footprint and risking consolidation or school closure as the DOE continues to look solely at numbers to justify the moves they are making. The people in these schools are of little concern to them when push comes to money, I mean shove.
WP may have not asked for more space but that does not mean the larger community doesn’t need it or want more access to good middle schools. WP is also a magnet school. Magnet schools are public schools that receive additional funding (similarly to Title I) from the federal government with the purpose of implementing a theme, designing innovative curriculum and increasing family participation. It’s own programming of sorts. To be successful in doing just this is fantastic. So is the opportunity to open that up to more families.
If we stripped away everything but the headcounts and square footage, there is currently no room left for either school to welcome more students, which no longer serves the community. And to argue that a a small percentage of students in the school that are unzoned are to blame would force us to examine all of district 3’s schools, many of which also have percentages of unzoned students. All of which provide different types of programming to put themselves on the map and keep their enrollment numbers high which increases DOE funding for zoned students. The dance all public schools must unfortunately participate in. Even WP.
Disruption is difficult for any child. It is especially difficult for those who rely on consistency, and certain accessibility spaces and services. This change will not come easy, no matter the outcome. How can the larger community support these students?
If you could make a list of what you feel must be provided in the new location, what would it be? Outdoor space, accessibility, technology… a comprehensive list of everything these kids need to thrive. How can this neighborhood and the larger community advocate for West Prep to obtain these things? What can we do to support each other in face of unavoidable change? Perhaps this article can be updated to include this information to further help support these students and their families.
Your facts are incorrect. The ASD nest program at WPA serves far more than 5 students in the school. I know this because my daughter, whose needs you are marginalizing is one of these students.
My numbers come straight from the DOE. There are in fact only 5 students enrolled in the ASD Nest program FOR the ASD program which primarily serves children on the Autistic spectrum. This of course does not mean the school doesn’t also benefit from the program being in their school or that the school doesn’t also have enrolled students with various special needs. My comment was simply stating that there are families currently at ps145 and in the larger community that could benefit from WP’s ASD program and it’s strength in supporting students with students in need of services should it have the space to expand vs. being shut down or merged somewhere.
Same with ps145. Both schools have high percentages of these students. As a parent of a child who is special needs and requires services at ps145, I am aware of this too. I am also aware that my child does not receive his services in private or in a consistent space because of space constraints. The school does its best to think outside the box and to use space when it is not in use by other students, but this causes disruption as well. Privacy and consistency builds trust and nurtures social emotional growth. Space allows for these things for both schools.
I am not marginalizing here. I am in the boat I speak of.
The neighborhood can sign our petition
https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-displacement-of-west-prep-children?redirect=false#decision-makers-heading
The neighborhood can connect us to media.
The neighborhood can visit ascension and see what we see and why that isn’t for us.
The neighborhood can recognize that WPA is a successful lighthouse school with the only ASD nest program in district 3.
Research us….
We have an amazing arts program where kids can learn to play instruments, be part of band, step, choir and dance.
Athletes benefit from this school (volleyball, flag football, basketball, track).
Support us at the public hearing on 2/26/2023 and fight to keep our school in current location and to remove the proposal.
I’m sure ps145 would fit perfectly in this space I’m more than positive so help fight get 145 over n they can well much grow as much as they like PERIOD
West Prep was also offered the 76 building first, and it was being considered by the community. Let’s not forget that.
Have to move New Yorkers around to make way for illegal migrants.
Maybe so, but from what I understand for West Prep Academy this isn’t the reason. and they do have the space. The reason is simple, a parent at PS-145 who was also appointed by the Mayor to the PEP (voting body) pushed his agenda, which is also self-serving, into all the nooks and crannies of the DOE at the expense of others! And by others I mean children!! Everything thing about this is wrong, doesn’t follow guidelines and discriminatory on many levels! I hope they remove from the floor immediately. Please care about our vulnerable children!!
Naveed Hassan
Xenophobia isn’t a good look on anyone…
I’m a retired DOE Senior Administrator with knowledge of this situation in CSD 3. The Principal of West Prep Academy has a register of approximately 168 students.
A viable Middle School should have at least 250 Students.
When I was a principal I had more students in a grade than this principal has in his entire school.
If I were this principal I would move to the new building, increase my enrollment, and keep my mouth shut. This is if he wants to continue to HAVE a school, and continue to collect his base salary of over $189,000 per annum.
No principal that is truly concerned about the well being of the students over their salary should ever “keep their mouth shut”. Thank you for pointing out the differences between how YOU and this principal have/would choose to go about this situation.
The issue is that the proposal takes from the students and doesn’t help the students grow. The space is not equitable and the students are from district 3 and had enrolled in WP to stay in district 3!
Ascension building is in district 3 zone. Just like MH2 and ps165 across the street. WP is a magnet school within district 3, giving priority to district 3 students. That would not change if it was moved to Ascension.
That it is not an adequate space for these students to grow is the valid argument here. How to make it better is my question.
This comment doesn’t reflect that you actually know all the facts about the situation, the children involved or the proposed non-DOE building. West Prep Academy has enough space to grow where they are. Insulting the principal was just rude!
Appreciate hearing about this issue as well as the various detail, background and history (eg the students served, accessible playground, NYCHA, shelter, the PEP appointee situation etc).
Sadly DOE has a history of moving around programs and schools – happens throughout NYC.
It’s only gotten much attention because there’s pep member that feels highly n wants to keep pushing unnecessary move that member should have looked to move the whole school or better yet to keep his Russian families segregated like they all do while in school or around the school this move has a lot to do with unnecessary classes being brought into our school
I as a parent of children in both schools would only be interested in halting this move we don’t need space in west prep we are using our rooms constructively n we don’t need space nor do we want to grow at the moment ps145 claims to need more space because of programs they want to grow luxuries not a necessity halt this move don’t entertain this movement in no shape or form west prep let’s stand strong ❤️
Halt this move
This plan completely undermines West Prep’s ability to serve their students. I am a parent of a child in the NEST Program at West Prep whose child has thrived since arriving at West Prep. The cheerful, well structured environment provides stability for children who desperately need it. The school has been carefully built their facilities in the Bloomingdale campus to serve such students needs. To uproot all they have built would disrupt the education process and progress of far too many students with special needs. Anyone advocating for this move should be ashamed–especially when there is no certainly no transparent or pressing reason being provided to make the move.
Thank you so much for shedding light on this situation. I am a parent of a West Prep parent whose child will suffer next year if this move goes through. It’s blatantly unfair and I appreciate you for letting our wider community know about it.
If this move ultimately triggers a rezoning in the District, Community Education Council 3 will get involved. One of the few items that a CEC can become involved in is a rezoning. I urge all of the involved stakeholders to be on alert for CEC meetings and hearings. Come out an attend these meetings and speak up! There will be an opportunity for public comment.
In addition, reach out to CEC members, particularly those that are the liaison to your school and let them know how you feel. Meet and get your local elected officials involved.
Be your child’s best advocate!
When dealing with the DOE it may be an uphill battle, but fight the good fight.
I have taught at West Prep for 13 years.
I think the bigger issue, and what makes some of these comments so problematic, is that everyone else, those who are not an integral part of the West Prep daily life, is telling West Prep’s story. And when the historically marginalized community that makes up West Prep speaks out, tells their story, and advocates for themselves, they are told they are wrong, the needs of others matter more, and to “shut up.”
This is history — marginalize people “get” rights, run successful businesses, own homes, etc, and people in power try to take it away. We have seen this throughout history and it continues to happen today from voting restrictions to Jim Crow, to redistricting of congressional districts.
So, my question is, what is the UWS community, especially those in the comments, doing to protect the most fundamental human and civil rights of the West Prep community?
This is a serious question. Please let me know in the comments, so I can follow up with you. You all know where to find me now.
Feliciano,
As a reader, it seems clear which comments are from parents and which are not.
(Not seeing the “shut-up” ?)
And you’ve added a list of how people can help.
So hopefully people will help…..
Thank you for caring !! It would be amazing if people helped and took the time to fully understand it’s not necessarily about moving it’s about everything the children and staff lose from the suggested space which came from a parent at PS 145 that has influence over the voting body (PEP). The space is not suitable, not safe, not ready; West Prep Academy would sacrifice everything everyone loves, built and created in their current space if forced into this space.
Here are some examples of ways you can assist us listed by Tyi Ellis. Let me how you’re able to help, we would love and welcome your support!
The neighborhood can sign our petition
https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-displacement-of-west-prep-children?redirect=false#decision-makers-heading
The neighborhood can connect us to media.
The neighborhood can visit ascension and see what we see and why that isn’t for us.
The neighborhood can recognize that WPA is a successful lighthouse school (showcase school) with the only ASD nest program in district 3.
My add: two Big Apple Award winning teachers and one finalist. One Blackboard Award teacher.
The neighborhood can recognize that West Prep actually outperforms almost all middle schools in the city when it comes to impact factor. (Only 37 in the city have a greater impact). What does this mean? It doesn’t mean that “test scores improve” by adding students who already score 3s and 4s. It means that we take students performing well below grade level and by the time they graduate, they are performing at a level 3 or 4. For example, in 2022, 17% of 6th graders came to us on grade level. For those who stayed all 3 years, 67% left on or above grade level.
Research us….
We have an amazing arts program where kids can learn to play instruments, be part of band, step, choir and dance.
Athletes benefit from this school (volleyball, flag football, basketball, track).
Support us at the public hearing on 2/26/2023 and fight to keep our school in current location and to remove the proposal.
“If it isn’t broken…,” someone, including developers, will find a way to break it. Keep 145 as is.
IDEA: Why not repurpose the Ascension building as rentable art studios, tutoring rooms, and small-business workspaces? Most probably there are many of us seeking a workroom in our neighborhood.
I have an immediate need for such a space, and would like to help make that transition. We don’t necessarily want anything sleek and expensive, just workable.
Please sign and share West Prep’s petition to move 🙏🏼💜
https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-displacement-of-west-prep-children?redirect=false#decision-makers-heading