DOE To Unveil Brooklyn Elementary Rezoning Proposal This Week

BROOKLYN, NY — Education officials will unveil a new proposal this week for how to redraw zones for seven Brooklyn elementary schools, which has been in the works for more than two years.

The Community Education Council for District 15 — extends from Carroll Gardens down to Sunset Park — will host a meeting Tuesday to discuss the latest updates about the rezoning, planned for seven schools in what's known as "sub district 3."

The meeting will include presentations from a team convened to research what family members are looking to get out of the remap and the Department of Education, who will reveal a draft rezoning scenario that reflects the team's recommendations.

The rezoning would affect seven schools — P.S. 676, P.S. 15, P.S. 32, P.S. 58, P.S. 29, P.S. 38 and PS 261 — whose zones stretch across Red Hook, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill and Carroll Gardens. It is meant to help with overcrowding and increase diversity in the "subdistrict."

The DOE's Office of District Planning originally proposed two options in 2019, one of which would eliminate the zones altogether and let parents choose their child's school. But instead of choosing between one of the plans, officials decided to hold off and gather more feedback.

Most recently, the "Participatory Action Research Team" recommended a plan that prioritizes seats at each of the schools for historically marginalized students, including multi-language learners, students with disabilities, those who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch or those who live in New York City Housing Authority developments and temporary housing.

The group also suggested that any rezoning plan prioritize Red Hook's P.S. 676, one of the district's least performing schools that initially said it had been left out of the remap discussions. The team said turning P.S. 676 from an elementary to middle school to help with its enrollment issues could be explored.

(Find the full Participatory Action Research Team presentation here, starting around 1 hr. 18 min):

Tuesday's meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and will take place over Zoom.

To participate, register here.

Interpretation will be available in Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin.