A Breakthrough for East Side Families
Dear Friends,
On Wednesday night, the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) voted to move forward with relocating Richard Green High School to allow PS 151 to move into the former PS 66 building. The PEP's decision is a huge breakthrough for East Side families. After years of waitlists and overcrowding, our students are finally on their way to getting the classroom space they deserve. I applaud the PEP for doing the right thing not just for PS 151 and Richard Green, but for the 5,000 children that go to school every day on the Upper East Side.
I'm proud to have helped bring two new elementary schools to the Upper East Side, which was the first step toward solving the overcrowding problem. Not too long ago I was sitting with parents in the basement of a community center, working to make the dream of a new PS 151 into a reality. The new school has been a wonderful success - the only thing left was to find it a permanent home.
I've been advocating for the best and most obvious solution: moving PS 151 into the former PS 66 building, which was always meant to be an elementary school. This plan went hand-in-hand with the plan to move Richard Green High School out of PS 66 and into a much better location at the Broadway Educational Campus.
Moving PS 151 to a new home is a major piece in the school rezoning puzzle, which is so important to solving the overcrowding that's been plaguing our community. The District 2 Community Education Council recently approved a rezoning plan based on the understanding that PS 151 will move into the former PS 66 building, giving it a capacity suitable for its newly enlarged zone. Without this move, the Upper East Side rezoning plan would have unraveled and East Side kids would have been condemned to more overcrowding, more waitlists, and more uncertainty.
Richard Green's students also deserve an appropriate home. PS 66 was never meant to be a high school, and for 20 years, Richard Green's students have been paying the price: they've been stuck with a dual-use auditorium/cafeteria, no gym, and no science labs. PS 66 was no place for growing young adults. Six foot tall seniors should not have to continually duck in small staircases built for six year olds. Moving Richard Green to the Broadway Educational Campus will allow these students to finally learn and develop in a space designed for them.
There's still much more to do before we can finally put the East Side's overcrowding problem to rest. We need more elementary and middle schools, and we need them now, not later - because with each coming school year, more children are entering Kindergarten. Ultimately, the continuing overcrowding and waitlists will only be solved by the creation of new schools.
I will continue to work hard on behalf of East Side students and their families, so that all our kids can get the education they deserve. If you have any questions about the PEP's vote or about any other East Side education matter, please don't hesitate to contact my office at (212) 860-4906, or email me at KellnerM@assembly.state.ny.us .
Very truly yours,
Micah Z. Kellner
Assembly Member