New York, NY – At a rally this morning at Museum Magnet School/ P.S 191, Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan) together with area elected, joined community leaders, teachers, parents and students who oppose a plan by the New York City Department of Education (DOE) to demolish the school, replace it with a new school building below private, market rate housing.

Late last year, the community came upon a public notice published in Crain’s that stated DOE’s plans to target three school sites for private development. The chosen developer would demolish the existing school building and replace it with a new school at the base of a luxury residential building.

“The decision to demolish a well-loved school, which just last year received a federal magnet grant, and displace hundreds of children for months in the process, is not one that should be made in secret,” said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal. “Greenlighting the construction of up to 50 stories of private luxury housing in this bustling community is a decision that should not be made without public input, but that’s exactly what the DOE is doing.”

The DOE has not made clear whether it intends to move forward with plans for one, two or all three of the schools, or whether it will execute any plans at all. Despite repeated requests, the DOE has refused to provide the community with important information regarding the timeline for any proposed development, whether any developers have expressed interest and where the students would be relocated during the construction process.

The P.S. 191 school community, which includes the NYCHA development Amsterdam Houses, was shocked to learn that its school was being considered for demolition and reconstruction. The community has banded together in organized opposition to the DOE’s plans, and insists that its members be heard before any decision is made by the DOE.

“The Redevelopment Committee believes that building a high-rise will negatively affect the lives of the community residents and the Museum Magnet School students and staff. We are strongly opposed to this development plan because we believe it will impair the quality and cohesiveness of instruction at the Museum Magnet School, and will displace our school children for the benefit of those looking to make a profit,” said Stacie Lorraine, 5th grade teacher at the Museum Magnet School/P.S. 191 and co-chair of the Redevelopment Committee.

Margarita Curet, President of the Amsterdam Houses Resident Association said, “The majority of the children who go to P.S. 191 live at Amsterdam Houses. The school community and the Amsterdam Houses Residents Association is working together to save our school. All my four children went to PS 191, and that goes for many of the parents and grandparents in this community. Everyone is working together to save P.S. 191.”

“Tearing down perfectly good schools and disrupting students for years in a neighborhood where classroom seats are already at a premium may make a few real estate developers happy, but it’s a bad idea for kids and their families, and an inappropriate use of the Educational Construction Fund,” said United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew.

Area elected officials have expressed concern over the lack of transparency and the need for public input.

New York State Senator Brad Hoylman (D, WFP – Manhattan) said: “Here in New York, we all work together to help shape the future of our neighborhoods. But DOE and ECF are trying to cut us out of a deal that would dramatically alter our school and community. That is why I support legislation (S.4643) to require any disposition of school property by the DOE be subject to ULURP. No matter how hard we have to fight, we will not let DOE and ECF off the hook.”

Councilmember Gale A. Brewer said, “I join the PS 191 families, teachers and neighbors along with my colleagues in opposing any plan to tear down PS 191. This school is a recipient of a competitive Federal magnet grant and is a vibrant and beloved learning environment due to its dedicated teachers, engaged parents, partnerships with city cultural institutions, and renovated school facilities. I have allocated hundreds of thousands of city capital dollars to technology, the auditorium, and the schoolyard to make this a first-class school. The proposal doesn't address community concerns of overdevelopment and access to light and air. The Department of Education's lack of transparency regarding its plans has fueled resistance and galvanized parents and neighbors to keep the building we have now. I am opposed to this redevelopment plan.”

In November 2012, a parent looking through the back pages of Crain’s stumbled upon a DOE request for expressions of interest (RFEI) for developers to submit plans to develop one of three public school sites: P.S. 199, located at 270 West 70th Street, the Museum Magnet School/P.S. 191, located at 210 West 61st Street and the School of Cooperative Technical Education, at 321 East 96th Street. The DOE anticipates leasing the land, along with any air rights, to a developer who will build private, market rate housing with a school at the base. The DOE has required the developer to help relocate the students attending the affected school within its catchment area.

Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal has introduced legislation that would require any disposition of land by the New York City Department of Education, the New York City Educational Construction Fund and the New York State School Construction Authority to be subject to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). In addition, the bill would also require that the DOE involve the community in the process before the request for proposals is issued. The legislation will require any of the aforementioned agencies to give notice to affected community boards, elected officials and provide public notice and an opportunity to be heard.