491 Dean Street. Photo courtesy of Plank Road Brooklyn.
A Joint Public Hearing will be held to provide the public with an opportunity to learn more about the proposal to resite Bridges: A School for Exploration and Equity (13K915) and P.S. K369 – Coy L. Cox School (75K369) from Building K580 to Building K653 and to present comments or concerns.
Date: Monday, January 22, 2024
Time: 6 p.m.
Where: Teleconference, https://learndoe.org/districtplanning
This Joint Public Hearing will be an opportunity to learn more about potential changes to building K653 and share feedback.
The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is proposing to re-site Design Works High School (13K963), referred to as Design Works, from building K748 to building K653 and to co-locate it with Bridges: A School for Exploration and Equity (13K915), referred to as M.S. 915, and P.S. K369 (75K369), referred to as P369K@K915, in K653 beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.
The NYCDOE is concurrently proposing to re-site M.S. 915 and P369K@K915 from building K580 to building K653 and to co-locate the schools with Design Works in K653 beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.
A re-siting means that part or all of a school will be moved to a different building than the building in which the school has been located. A co-location means that two or more school organizations are located in the same building and may share common spaces, such as auditoriums, gymnasiums, libraries, and cafeterias.
Design Works is an existing district high school serving students in grade 9 in the 2023-2024 school year and phasing in one grade level each year until it is at full-scale, serving students in grades 9-12 beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. Design Works is currently housed in K748, which is located at 424 Albee Square West, Brooklyn, NY 11201 in Community School District 13, referred to as District 13. K653 is a new NYCDOE building currently under construction and is scheduled to be completed in advance of the 2024-2025 school year. K653 is located at 491 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217, also in District 13, and is approximately 1.0 miles from K748. If approved by the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP), this proposal will re-site Design Works from K748 to K653 and, if the concurrent proposal is approved, co-locate it with M.S. 915 and P369@K915 in K653 for the 2024-2025 school year and beyond. K653 is located at 491 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217, also in District 13, and is approximately 1.3 miles from K580.
K748 is planned to be an elementary school in the long-term; the siting of Design Works in K748 was intended to be temporary. K653 will be a brand-new building that will provide an appropriate long-term space and amenities for Design Works, including a cafeteria, a gymatorium, a gymnasium, an outdoor play yard, a rooftop play yard, a science room, and a library.
M.S. 915 and P369K@K915 are currently housed in K580, located at 105 Johnson Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 in District 13. K580 currently houses four schools: M.S. 915; P369K@K915; George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School (13K605), referred to as Westinghouse, an existing district high school serving students in grades 9-12; City Polytechnic High School of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology (13K674), an existing district high school serving students in grades 9-12; and another inclusion site of P.S. K369, referred to as P369K@K580, serving students in grades 9-12 and affiliated with Westinghouse. P369K@K915 and P369K@K580 are inclusive education programs that are affiliated with M.S. 915 for grades 6-8 and Westinghouse for grades 9-12, respectively, in K580, meaning that P369K@K915 and P369K@K580 students take some classes with general education students at M.S. 915 and Westinghouse and receive special education programs and services as recommended on their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) from P.S. K369. K653 is approximately 1.3 miles from K580.
If this proposal to re-site M.S. 915 and P369K@K915 is approved, M.S. 915 and P369K@K915 will no longer serve students in K580 and, if the concurrent proposal is approved, will be co-located with Design Works in K653 beginning in the 2024-2025 school year. K653 will provide an appropriate long-term facility and amenities for M.S. 915 and P369K@K915, including a cafeteria, a gymatorium, a gymnasium, an outdoor play yard, a rooftop play yard, a science room, and a library. K653 is also more centrally located than K580, as it is closer to a number of elementary schools and 0.2 miles from a major public transportation hub with 9 subways and 11 buses.
The proposal to re-site Design Works to K653 is not contingent on PEP approval of the proposal to re-site M.S. 915 and 369@K915. Similarly, the proposal to re-site M.S. 915 and P369@K915 is not contingent on PEP approval to re-site Design Works to K653. However, the co-location of Design Works, M.S. 915, and P369@K915 in K653 are contingent on PEP approval of both proposals. If both proposals are approved, Design Works, M.S. 915, and P369@K915 will be re-sited and co-located in K653 beginning in the 2024-2025 school year. These proposals will be voted on separately by the PEP.
For further information about these proposals, please see the Educational Impact Statements, which are available in the main offices of Design Works, M.S. 915, and P369@K915, as well as on the PEP website at: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/about-us/leadership/panel-for-education-policy/2023-2024-pages/february-27-2024-school-utilization-proposals.
You can sign up to speak at the Joint Public Hearing starting at 5:30 p.m. Speaker sign-up will close 15 minutes after the hearing begins.
Access the teleconference Joint Public Hearing online here: https://learndoe.org/districtplanning/.
Before the hearing, you may visit the following website to confirm you are able to join the teleconference on your equipment: https://learndoe.org/districtplanning/tech-check/.
If you are unable to attend the Joint Public Hearing through the above link, you may call in directly:
- To participate in English, dial 646-828-7666 (Toll Free) and enter meeting ID: 161 117 8895#.
This Joint Public Hearing will also offer live interpretation in Spanish: - To participate in Spanish, dial 646-964-1167 (Toll Free) and enter meeting ID: 160 976 6510#.
These proposals must be voted on and approved by the PEP prior to implementation. In addition to the Joint Public Hearing, you may also share comments about these proposals by leaving a voicemail at 212-374-0208 or emailing D13Proposals@schools.nyc.gov.
All comments received at least 24 hours in advance of the PEP meeting at which these proposals are subject to a vote will be included in the Public Comment Analysis, which will be made available on the NYCDOE website after 6 p.m. on the day before the PEP vote. The PEP is expected to vote on these proposals on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, at 6 p.m. at Prospect Heights Educational Campus, located at 883 Classon Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225. For further information about how to access this meeting, visit the PEP website at https://www.schools.nyc.gov/about-us/leadership/panel-for-education-policy.
Published on December 15, 2023