This just came from Community Board 1:
Community Board 1 has just received the following good news from the Department of Education (DOE). We would like to thank the DOE, the City, our elected officials, including Assembly Speaker Silver, Manhattan Borough President Stringer, Senator Squadron, Assembly Member Glick, and Council Member Chin, and especially the PTA and parents of PS 150.
“The Department of Education will not be issuing a proposal to relocate PS150. Thank you for your involvement regarding this matter. Principal Bonnet will be issuing a letter to the school community.”
If you receive the letter, please forward it to tribecacitizen@gmail.com.
UPDATE 9/4: Council member Margaret Chin’s office sent out a roundup of raves:
“I am so pleased that P.S. 150 will remain in its current location. As a result of the DOE’s cooperation with parents, elected officials, and community leaders, downtown Manhattan will retain these invaluable school seats and we can continue to work together to make certain all of our public schoolchildren get the quality education they deserve,” said Congressman Jerry Nadler.
“I am thrilled at the news that P.S. 150 will remain at its current location. For years, I have been fighting for more school seats here in Lower Manhattan and this is yet another victory for our community. In recent years, a record number of families have chosen to make Lower Manhattan their home in part because of our excellent schools. By keeping these school seats Downtown, we are maintaining our record of providing our children with the high quality education they deserve. I want to thank the Department of Education for listening to the needs of our community and keeping P.S. 150 where it is,” said State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
“I am gratified that the voices of parents, advocates and elected officials have been heard — and that the Department of Education has reconsidered its plan to relocate PS 150. This remarkable, high-performing school has been an anchor in Tribeca and our City needs to support and nurture such institutions, so our children can benefit from the quality education they provide. I salute the parents and community who led the fight to keep PS 150 where it is, and I am proud to have supported the effort to preserve such an important neighborhood school,” said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.
“I appreciate the Department of Education’s willingness to take a deep breath and step back from rushing through a proposal that would have irrevocably harmed this extremely successful school. Listening to the community and keeping P.S. 150 in place is the right choice. Especially given the overcrowding crisis in Lower Manhattan’s schools, I am extremely happy that P.S. 150 will be allowed to continue to thrive,” said State Assemblywoman Deborah J. Glick
“It’s great news that DOE has heeded our calls and pulled back the proposal to relocate P.S. 150. Kids and parents around our neighborhood have built a unique, cohesive, and successful community at P.S. 150. Now, our students can continue to grow and thrive,” said State Senator Daniel Squadron.
“P.S. 150 is well-loved and respected in our community for its commitment and dedication to its students, and I thank the DOE for listening to the many voices that came together to keep the school in place. In Lower Manhattan, where the population growth outpaces the building of new schools, every school seat counts. We will continue to work together to preserve schools like P.S. 150, and also identify sites for additional much-needed schools that ensure our students’ continued educational success,” said Council Member Margaret Chin.
“This is wonderful news for P.S. 150 students and their parents who love this treasured local well- performing school. Now there will be many more smiling faces on opening day. This is a successful example of democracy working from the bottom up where the parents and children work with their local Community Board, elected officials, the City and the DOE,” said Catherine McVay Hughes, Chair of Manhattan Community Board 1.
“I commend the Department of Education for working with the community and really listening to what parents had to say. I applaud the parents for mobilizing, even over the summer, to keep the conversation going with the DOE, the Community Education Council District 2 and the electeds. I am grateful to the assistance by the elected officials and our colleagues from the Community Board #1 in keeping the conversations productive and positive. We still have a great deal of work ahead of us in addressing the needs of P.S.150 and overcrowding in Lower Manhattan. I hope we will continue this collaboration in meeting these challenges,” said Shino Tanikawa, President of Community Education Council District 2.
“P.S. 150 families are thankful and appreciative of the DOE’s decision not to move the school to Chelsea in 2014. Throughout this process, elected officials, CB1 community leaders, CEC members, local press and families came together to seek alternatives to the DOE’s proposal. This engagement from so many has made our downtown community stronger for it. In a time where it is easy to disengage, this process has brought people together. P.S.150 is an amazing little school that is proud to be part of the downtown community, said PTA President Wendy Chapman.
Congratulations to the wise officials in this lovely little community for addressing the best interests of their constituents’ and their children
It’s nice to hear … “We, the People DO make a difference”.