* University Neighborhood High School is under siege again.
* In 2013-2014 this school fought back a co-location with the community’s help.
* Now, NYC Charter School of the Arts (City School of the Arts) Middle School seeks to relocate its D2 school in D1, and at UNHS.
* This is the same City School of the Arts that was vigorously opposed by the community (‘14-’15 and ‘15-‘16).
* SUNY CSI (Charter School Institute) approved them nonetheless.
* City School of the Arts was made to promise that it would occupy private space though and not take space away from our existing Middle Schools. It made other promises too.
From the New York City Charter School of the Arts Proposal:
* “New York City Charter School of the Arts’ commitment to securing a private facility is a direct response to the community’s feedback that DOE spaces in Lower Manhattan are overcrowded, and new spaces ought to be allocated for new seats. Families and community leaders in CSDs 1 and 2 have expressed the urgent need for more community-based middle school options, but without a great deal of support from families to open and co-locate in a DOE building, we dedicated time and resources towards identifying a private space that is feasible for a Fall 2016 opening. Our commitment to private space is rooted in three rationales:
1) The community wants to increase the number of physical seats in Public Schools downtown
2) Our unique program necessitates large community spaces such an auditorium, and specialized classrooms where artistic classes can take place. It would be difficult to run high-quality arts program in the small amount of time that a DOE location would allow for the use of shared auditorium or gym.
3) Private space would allow us to initiate lease immediately upon being chartered…” (PDF, p. 308)
* “Given current constraints on space that LES families describe, in addition to the unique physical features we will need in order to faithfully execute our program, we do not anticipate the NYCDOE Division of School Facilities granting our [2016] request” for space in a public building, per the Facilities Access Process (PDF, p. 309-310).