Upper West Side parents are speaking out as a controversial plan to relocate a beloved public middle school is beginning to take shape.
The Center School, also known as M.S. 243, on the Upper West Side, will relocate to another location within District 3 if a plan from the Department of Education (DOE) becomes a reality.
Parents and teachers at the school, which shares a building with P.S. 9, at 100 W. 84th St., are outraged and concerned about the proposal, which would dismantle a mixed-grade student body of grades 5 to 8 and disrupt its curriculum. Parent group leaders told amNewYork the school system wants to move Center School to P.S. 191, a 3K through 8 school located about a mile south.
The Center School’s curriculum is heavily arts-based and uses a massive auditorium that can accommodate its 250 students—something P.S. 191 lacks. Its proximity to museums and cultural institutions around Central Park also supports students’ history and social studies lessons.
While the DOE has not announced formal plans, officials have told parents and teachers that class size and student enrollment are considerations in the move. Mike Veve, a teacher at Center School, said that plans to uproot students, families, and staff have to be carefully thought out.
“While we would prefer not to move, it’s important to us as a school community that if we have to move that we have access to a real auditorium for our all-school theater shows, a safe outdoor play space for all of our students to gather at recess, that we’re near transit hubs, that our current families are able to come along with us, and that they have the time to have a voice in the process,” he said.
Tekle Eckrich, another teacher at the school and the parent of a Center student, echoed similar sentiments, telling amNewYork that its current location is ideal because it supports students from all parts of District 3.
“We want a good landing spot, and the one that they offered us [at P.S. 191] is not really a great landing spot,” he said. It’s still technically on the West Side, in the corner of the district. For our school, what we do curriculum-wise, it really helps to be centrally located within the district. We take kids from all over the district.”
Families are already ‘looking to move’
Eckrich added that a move would be an impediment to parents who have to drop off and pick up their children before and after work. The nearest train station is about a 20-minute walk away from P.S. 191.
“We already have families who are looking to leave if we move,” he said. “They banked on this location at 84th and Columbus [Avenue], which is right between three or four subway stations. It’s centrally located and on bus lines.”
Olivia Greer, whose son is in sixth grade at the Center School, explained that there has been a lack of interest from District 3 in sustaining the kindergarten through eighth-grade school models. Similar to Eckrich’s thoughts, she said shuffling the schools within the district can be disruptive to parents and students.
“You have impacts here on younger siblings. Families faced with the position of having to drop off a child at one school and a sibling at another,” she said. “I think that has been minimized by the district. You have parents trying to get their kids to school every day.”
Parents, however, said their concerns extend beyond relocation, as the proposed district plan would also significantly impact P.S. 191, located at 300 W. 61st St. The plan would shuffle students and families within the district, changing P.S. 191 from a 3K through eighth-grade school to one that only serves students through fifth grade.
An ‘injustice’ to P.S. 191
P.S. 191 has faced challenges of its own in recent years, following a rapid increase in its non-English-speaking migrant population. Over the previous three years, the school has enrolled more than 300 migrant children, whose integration challenges have impacted the entire student body.
Tiffany Rodriguez pointed out that the current education approach — where half of each subject period is dedicated to tech-based translated lessons—has proven detrimental, leading to academic regression for both American-born and migrant students.
“It would be an injustice to close this school,” she said, adding that P.S. 191 was once a thriving school. “We’ve had a turnover of 50 teachers within the last two years. Teachers who were with us for years.”
The students get along with each other, Rodriguez said, but the district’s plan to uproot the middle school students to other schools would be yet another challenge.
“This is not a merger,” she said. “The Center School won’t be able to take any of our [middle school] students. There’s not another school that is waiting for our students.”
She feels that the students will be separated from each other and placed in various schools throughout the district, further compounding academic challenges.
“The school directly across the street can only take two or three of our students,” Rodriguez added. “The rest would be chartered around a mile or further into Harlem.”
Greer emphasized the potential negative impact on students at P.S. 191, who would be displaced and forced to attend classes elsewhere.
“It’s extremely important to the Center School community that we acknowledge there is a school there,” Greer said. “There are children, faculty and families in that building who would be displaced by this move.”
Parents at both schools emphasized the need for clear communication and transparency from the DOE. Following rumors that began circulating about the Center School’s potential move, parents organized a petition for both the middle school and P.S. 191; it has already garnered nearly 2,500 signatures, with active alumni being part of the support.
“The proposed relocation process has lacked transparency, timely communication, and regard for students’ academic and emotional well-being,” the petition states. “Families first learned of it through rumors in fall 2025, and not from the DOE.”
DOE says it has been in touch with parents
Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels, previously the superintendent of District 3, was appointed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed him to run the entire NYC public school system. amNewYork contacted the DOE for comment regarding the plans to move the middle schools and the transparency issues.
“Authentic community engagement is a cornerstone of any thriving school system, and we strive to provide all schools with facilities that best meet their needs,” a NYC Public Schools spokesperson said.
She confirmed that working groups were convened throughout District 3 last year to identify student needs and explore potential solutions.
Both the school system and parents agree that no formal plan has been announced yet.
“While we have begun early conversations with families and school leaders about how best to support long-term planning, no formal proposal has been issued at this time,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue to consult closely with families, educators, and local partners.”
Parents are urging the DOE to pause any relocation plans until at least the 2028-2029 school year — and to keep them fully informed throughout the process.
