Pre-K or Charter? Alternative to Success Academy Cobble Hill is Proposed

Success Academy Cobble Hill has its , and the Board of Education backs their plan to move a K-8 school into the building. But two officials - Assemblywoman Joan L. Millman and former Deputy Schools Chancellor and President of District 15 Carmen Farina - have a different idea of what the district needs.

"Our community, which has experienced an increase in young families, has too
often been denied seats at their local school due to overcrowding," said Millman. "Nursery and private school slots are costly and are over enrolled as well."

"A Pre-K and Kindergarten program in a convenient location seems like a perfect solution to a long standing problem," she added.

The proposal (see attached PDF) Millman and Farina are backing asks the Department of Education to open an "early childhood center" that would serve Pre-K and Kindergarten age students who live within walking distance from the school. 

The new proposal, which was discussed at a meeting, was fleshed out by SchoolBook late Thursday.

According to SchoolBook, Millman met with Farina, a Cobble Hill resident, and Jim Devor, the head of the Community Education Council for District 15, earlier this week to discuss the proposal, which it is also being promoted by the Alliance for Quality Education, an "advocacy organization that often protests school closings and decisions to place multiple schools in the same building," according to SchoolBook.

Farina does not object to charter schools, the report says, but she would "prefer a plan that comes from what local parents want, rather than from the 'outside,'" she told SchoolBook.

“This is not so much anti this as pro what we need,” she said.

There has been much resistance to Success Academy Cobble Hill. Last month a meeting held by Success Charter Network Founder Eva Moskowitz , and the community has continued to complain about the co-location, and potential overcrowding.

But Success Academy has argued the worries about overcrowing at 284 Baltic St. are baseless, and point to a report (see attached PDF) released by the New York City Charter School Center. The report finds "school buildings in which charter and district schools share space are among the city’s least crowded and charter schools tend to be more cramped than their district school neighbors."

DOE officials told SchoolBook they have not been approached with other proposals besides the one they are moving forward with. On Nov. 29 at 5:30 p.m., the DOE holds a public hearing on the proposed Success Academy at 284 Baltic St. Everyone is encouraged to attend.