By Julie Shapiro
After hours of public hearings, hundreds of e-mails and more than a few tears, the District 2 Community Education Council is ready to make a decision on Lower Manhattan school zoning.
The council will meet on Wed., Jan. 13 to vote on school zones that will be in place for at least one year. This week, the council announced that it had narrowed the field to two possibilities, each of which has strong support and opposition in the community.
Nowhere was the polarization more evident than at the final public hearing on the zoning options Thursday evening, Jan. 7. More than 200 people turned out to P.S. 234’s auditorium to express their views, and they appeared evenly split between proposals known as Option 2 and a revised version of Option 3.
Option 2 would zone all of Tribeca west of Church St. for P.S. 234, while Tribeca east of Church St. would go to the new Spruce Street School near the Seaport. Option 3 zones all of Tribeca north of Warren and Murray Sts. for P.S. 234, but it sends southwest Tribeca (including the Whole Foods building across the street from P.S. 234) to P.S. 89 in Battery Park City. Based on parent feedback at previous hearings, the city released a new version of Option 3 this week that unites both buildings of the Greenwich Court condominium in the P.S. 234 zone.
The strongest support for Option 2 Thursday night came from a group of southwest Tribeca parents decked out in red and waving red signs. They argued that Option 3 would put their children in danger because they would have to navigate the speeding traffic on West St. to get to P.S. 89.
But another contingent of parents from east Tribeca was also well organized and showed up en masse to argue for Option 3. They said the West St. crossings were not as dangerous as crossing Broadway and Park Row, which they would have to do to bring their children to the Spruce Street School under Option 2.
While some parents spoke about safety, many made more emotional appeals, several even breaking down in tears as they described how the zoning debate is dividing friends and neighbors.
Debbie Passey, who lives on the east side of Church St., spoke in favor of Option 3, which would zone her for P.S. 234, although many of her friends were supporting Option 2 and were wearing red in solidarity. Her 8-year-old is already attending P.S. 234, but she wants her 1-year-old to have the chance to go there as well, she said, beginning to cry.
Most Tribeca parents mentioned the importance of community and said they felt connected to P.S. 234, but far more families want to attend 234 than the school can hold.
“Tribeca is not a one-school town anymore,” said Tricia Joyce, a P.S. 234 parent and overcrowding activist.
Joyce urged the angry crowd to calm down and focus on the fact that every child will have a school seat, at least for next fall.
“None of these commutes are great,” she said of the streets families will have to cross to get to school. “But do you know what’s less great? Waitlists.”
One of the only parents who left Thursday’s hearing satisfied was Lee-Ann Kanthan, who lives at 2 Water St. across from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and has three children under the age of 5. Kanthan wanted to be zoned for P.S. 276 in southern Battery Park City, which is twice as close to her as the Spruce Street School.
Michael Markowitz, a C.E.C. member, told her that based on her concerns, the city had changed the proposals so that each zoned her building for P.S. 276. Kanthan, surprised and pleased, returned to her seat.
“One happy camper!” Markowitz pronounced.
For the first time that evening, everyone in the auditorium applauded at once.
The C.E.C. will vote next Wed., Jan. 13 at a 6:30 p.m. meeting. When the location has been set, it will appear on cecd2.net.
Julie@DowntownExpress.com
