Your support is needed once again in P.S. 9's continuing fight to LET PS9 GROW!

pnlop

The Dept. of Education is still working to co-locate Brooklyn East Collegiate Charter School into the building where P.S. 9 resides, but the P.S. 9 administration and parent community have a better option! P.S. 9 has applied to expand to the 8th grade so that we have a local middle school option for our children that continues P.S. 9’s educational philosophy.

The Dept. of Education and the SUNY Charter Schools Institute are seeking public comments on the proposed co-location of Brooklyn East Collegiate Charter School in our building.

Please support P.S. 9’s efforts to expand into a Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8 school, and urge the DOE and the PEP to halt the co-location process.

HOW TO HELP:

- Please Attend: DOE Public Hearing, this Friday, May 13, 6:00 pm (sign up to speak at 5:30 pm) in the P.S. 9 Auditorium at 80 Underhill Avenue (between St. Marks and Bergen).

- Email comments to: [email protected], [email protected] (sample letter)

- Submit oral comments at: 212-374-0208 (sample script)

- Attend the PEP hearing & vote at 6:00 pm on Wed, May 18 at Long Island City High School, 14-30 Broadway, Queens, NY, 11106. Sign-up to speak at 5:30 pm. UFT will provide buses from P.S. 9 to the hearing - to reserve a place on the bus, contact Laura Jaffe at [email protected] or 917/673-2157.

- Sign the online petition to support P.S. 9’s middle school expansion

For more information, visit the P.S. 9 PTA blog: http://www.ps9pta.blogspot.com/

Thanks for your support!

The P.S. 9 Parent Advisory Council

thelambchop

I am not a PS9 parent, but I just wanted to say that I am very proud of my community members, and the school staff, who are fighting so hard for our neighborhood school! I missed the meeting, but I read that the co-location plan was approved. That's a disappointing result but I also read that the vote on the education panel was split 7-4. Pretty remarkable, given that most of the panelists serve at the pleasure of the Mayor, who is driving the DOE's charter expansion movement. Chancellor Walcott also vocalized that the DOE is committed to examining PS9's middle-school expansion proposal, which is an interesting wrinkle. (How would that work with the co-location? Wouldn't PS9 elementary lose seats?)

Regardless of what your position is on charter schools/co-locations/etc., I think this shows the importance of continuing the dialogue on these issues. I was particularly impressed by the way the parents really focused on the problems with the DOE's plan for both schools, and its general approach to these issues, rather than vilifying any group of parents or the charter school.