School offi cials delay integration plan
for Brownstone Brooklyn schools
BY BEN VERDE
City education bigwigs announced
a yearlong delay of
their ambitious scheme to desegregate
elementary schools
in Brownstone Brooklyn on
Tuesday, saying they needed
more time for community input,
according to the local
school district’s Superintendent.
“We elected not to submit
a proposal for 2020 and
2021 implementation...to provide
more time to hear from as
many voices as possible, and
empower communities in the
process,” said Anita Skop.
The Department of Education
had originally planned
to vote on their schemes in
November, with implementation
affecting children entering
kindergarten in 2020. Now,
Brooklyn youth entering kindergarten
in 2021 will be affected.
In an effort to foster integration
among Kings County
schools, the two proposals
would alter the enrollment
criteria for seven elementary
schools in Carroll Gardens,
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Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Gowanus,
and Red Hook — which
comprises a subset of the notoriously
segregated School District
15.
The fi rst proposals would
dramatically alter the zoning
lines for the seven schools —
shrinking the geographic area
designated for high-attendance
schools, while expanding the
area for under-utilized ones.
The second proposal would
get rid of zoning lines altogether,
opting instead for a randomized
lottery system across
the schools.
After hearing from upset locals
who were unaware of the
prospective changes, department
offi cials opted to punt on
voting on either measure.
“What we really heard was
that there were people who
didn’t know what was going on,
and we want to try very hard to
get out and reach them,” said
Skop.
Members of District 15’s
Community Education Council
— a volunteer advisory
group overseeing the district
— praised the decision, along
with community leaders who
had pushed DOE to extend the
timeline.
“We’re going to do this
right, we’re not going to check
a box,” said Francisca Montaña,
the Borough President
appointee to the council. “We
are going to pay a debt that we
have to certain communities. I
am really happy.”
Edwin Pacheco, a pastor
at Redemption Church in Red
Hook similarly lauded the departments
decision and said he
felt his community was being
listened to.
“Hearing this today was
kind of a win for us,” he said.
“They’re hearing the community,
they’re responding to it.
Even if we engage and we’re
back at the drawing board, at
least we’ve done our due diligence
and extended every possible
option.”
However, not everyone
was pleased with the Department’s
decision — including
the education council’s former
president, who called on
education bigwigs to push
forward despite the lack of
A map demonstrating one of the proposed zoning changes.
Department of Education
clear consensus.
“I’m disappointed that
you’re not going forward,”
said Jim Devor. “I appreciate
that you may not reach a consensus,
but I don’t believe you
can ever reach a consensus entirely.”
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