
6
BROOKLYN WEEKLY, OCTOBER 6, 2019
SOCIAL STUDIES
City presents plans to desegregate elementary schools in Brownstone Brooklyn
BY AIDAN GRAHAM
City education officials unveiled
two ambitious schemes
to desegregate elementary
schools in Brownstone Brooklyn
by reshaping the area’s admissions
process, according to
a local civic guru.
“We find ourselves at a turning
point...This is a moment
where we can really step forward,”
said Camille Casaretti,
head of the Community Education
Council at School District
15. “Both of the proposals that
are on the table offer a level
of equity that doesn’t exist in
many schools throughout the
city.”
The two proposals would alter
the enrollment criteria for
seven elementary schools in
Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill,
Boerum Hill, Gowanus, and
Red Hook — located within District
15, which Mayor Bill de
Blasio has singled as a testing
ground for new desegregation
policies .
The first plan would dramatically
change the zoning map
for the schools — shrinking
zoning for sought-after schools,
and expanding the designated
area for schools with low-attendance.
PS 15 in Red Hook and PS 32
in Gowanus would see the largest
increases in coverage area —
mostly engulfing students from
Carroll Gardens, where zoning
for PS 58 would be shrunk more
than any other school.
The second proposal would
throw out the zoning map altogether,
and enroll students to
the seven schools using a randomized
lottery system.
The raff le-based plan mirrors
a similar scheme that the
Department of Education has
already implemented across all
middle schools in District 15 —
Zoning for PS 58 in Carroll Gardens, which is one of the most sought-after schools in the area, would shrink considerably under a new Department of Education
proposal. Google Maps
which also encompasses Park
Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough
Park, and Sunset Park —
where students list their school
preferences before being enrolled
through a lottery system.
“In District 15, we’ve already
launched a middle school diversity
plan,” said department rep
Max Familian. “Seventy-eight
percent of students receive an
offer to one of their top three
schools.”
If the zoning maps are eliminated,
the Department of Education
would requisition additional
buses to accommwodate
students who find themselves
enrolled in far-f lung schools,
according to Familian.
Under both schemes, 25 to 35
percent of seats in each school
would be reserved for homeless
students, non-native speakers,
or children eligible for free or
reduced lunch.
Currently, the challenge
of serving underprivileged
or non-native students is unequally
shared between the
seven schools, only 11 percent
of students meeting that criteria
at PS 29 in Cobble Hill,
while nearly 100 percent of students
do at PS 676 in Red Hook,
according to Familian.
“In this area, there’s a disparity
across the seven schools
across the district,” he said.
“We’re looking to use rezoning
and admissions changes to address
these disparities between
the schools.”
Students who are currently
enrolled in a school would not be
forced to transfer if their zoning
changes, according to Familian,
who also noted that children
could be admitted to the same
schools as their older siblings
— regardless of possible future
zoning changes — in an effort to
keep families together.
Department of Education
reps had previously hoped to finalize
the rezoning plan for the
2020 school year, but multiple
sources suggested that timeline
could be pushed back.
This newspaper is not responsible for typographical errors in ads beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2019 by Brooklyn Courier
Life LLC. The content of this newspaper is protected by Federal copyright law. This newspaper, its advertisements, articles, and photographs may not be reproduced, either in
whole or part, without permission in writing from the publisher except brief portions for purposes of review or commentary consistent with the law. Postmaster, send address
changes to Courier Life, One MetroTech Center North, Third Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201.