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Lower Manhattan Community Middle School — aka LMC — will present a proposal to become a 6 to 12 school at this month’s Community Board 1 Education Committee meeting, as part of its process to pitch the same to the Department of Education. This seems like a big deal to me! It’s still in the early stages, however.

The CB1 meeting is Tuesday, October 13, at 6p in person at 1 Centre or live on Webex.

Earlier this year, the DOE presented a proposal to CB1 that would co-locate an AI/STEM high school — then called Next Generation Technology High School — with LMC, which has occupied the 6th and 7th floors of 26 Broadway since September 2010. The Education Committee and the full board wrote a resolution against the idea, arguing that the co-location would create space constraints and operational challenges.

Since then the entire idea for the AI school has been scuttled. (More soon on the AI-driven private school in Fidi…) And also since then, the Urban Assembly School has left the education complex at 26 Broadway (the complex houses several public schools on upper floors, as well as shared facilities on the ground floor).

LMC has grown from about 200 students to about 350 over the past 16 years for grades 6 through 8. My guess is they would need space for at least double that if the school continues. The school uses an entrance lobby with four elevators at 81 New Street; other schools in the building use other entrances. The gym is on the ground floor and is shared with Richard Green High School of Teaching, limited access to gym classes.

“Differences in funding, programmatic resources, and access to special education services between schools in the building can create tensions when students notice disparities in facilities or support,” the community board wrote in its resolution.

LMC’s founding principal previously requested that the school expand to a 6–12 model, the comittee said, and noted that there are no 6–12 public schools in Lower Manhattan currently, “a model that is in demand among families.”

“Research suggests that reducing multiple school transitions may help minimize dips in student achievement and support adolescents’ social, emotional, and cognitive development,” the committee added.

“[While] expanding LMC to a 6–12 model would add additional students, the school would be able to fully manage student movement, scheduling, and use of shared facilities within its own program,” CB1 wrote.

More soon after the meeting.