UES Private, Public Schools To Share Gym In Unusual Agreement

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — An elite Upper East Side public school has agreed to share its sparkling new gym with two nearby public schools, under an agreement brokered by a neighborhood lawmaker.

The Spence School, an all-girls institution based on East 91st Street, wrapped up construction last fall on its six-story addition at 412 East 90th St. — a 65,000-square-foot building between First and Second avenues that includes squash courts, a student center, plus space for the performing arts and other disciplines.

The imposing facility is just a few blocks away from two public schools that have no gymnasiums at all: P.S. 151 Yorkville Community School on East 88th Street, and P.S. 527 East Side School for Social Action on East 91st Street.

In past years, both schools have had to make do with their lack of recreation space: P.S. 151 has held gym classes in two converted classrooms, while P.S. 527 has repurposed an auditorium for physical education, according to Councilmember Julie Menin's office.

Now, just in time for the next school year, Menin says she has brokered a deal that would allow the public schools to use Spence's gym for physical education classes during school hours, free of charge.

"School children should not be forced to have gym class or recess in closed streets, cafeterias, or classrooms," Menin said in a statement.

While not quite the first of its kind, a Department of Education official told Menin's office that the public-private-school partnership was "very unique."

Spence, which charges more than $60,000 in tuition, first unveiled plans for its new gym in 2017 — and Menin said she has worked since its early stages to help the three schools work out a deal.

"This is an essential part of our mission and Spence's membership in the Yorkville community," said Felicia Wilks, Spence's head of school, who said she was "excited" to share the gym as part of a "community outreach program."

Formally known as Spence 412, the glass-fronted building includes a regulation-size gymnasium suitable for volleyball and basketball, 450 spectator seats, nine squash courts, an ecology center with a teaching lab and a kitchen, plus a greenhouse and outdoor rooftop space.

News of the deal comes just a few months after Menin helped secure $5.5 million in funding to build a rooftop play area at P.S. 290 on East 82nd Street, helping fulfill a years-old dream for parents and students.