DOE Chancellor Carmen Fariña Confirms Eventual Inclusion Of A Middle School At Pacific Park/Atlantic Yards
A middle school WILL be coming to the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park site, confirmed Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña at a Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce talk this morning (Thursday, January 28). The much hoped-for school is estimated to open in time for the 2018 school year and will serve students in Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Fort Greene, and elsewhere in District 13.
It is also welcomed by many in the community, such as grassroots coalition M.S. OneBrooklyn, as addressing a need for local middle school seats that are not shared with elementary school grades.
“I think the most important part is that the reality approaches the vision in a way that respects community input,” said Fariña at the event.
The Department of Education (DOE) confirmed Fariña’s statement, with spokesperson Toya Holness telling DNAInfo that “the new school will directly address needs voiced by the community and there will be ongoing opportunities for public discourse as we move forward with plans.”
Last summer, Cynthia McKnight, co-president of the P.S. 11 PTA in Clinton Hill, explained to us that “our children deserve the opportunity to continue their first-rate elementary school education, which includes arts enrichment and real-world application of their math and science learning. The M.S. OneBrooklyn vision offers that, in a middle school community that prioritizes diversity, safety, strong relationships and the important social and emotional needs of young adolescents.”
M.S. OneBrooklyn cheered the announcement, as well, stating that “On behalf of the more than 1,000 people who have signed [our] petition, we are delighted that the Chancellor has committed that the Atlantic Yards facility will be a dedicated middle school. We look forward to working with the Department of Education to leverage the arts and tech resources of Brooklyn, and incorporate dual-language curricula at this new school. Together, we can deliver an outstanding middle school experience accessible to all students of District 13.”
David Goldsmith, president of Community Education Council 13, noted that “we applaud the DOE’s commitment to creating both new middle schools, as well as state-of-the art new facilities for existing middles, in District 13, as part of a collaborative strategy to improve current schools and develop new ones to prepare our children for future success in our city and our world.”
Added CEC 13 member Rob Underwood, “The new middle school commitment for Atlantic Yards announced today, as well the redesigned M.S. 313 Dock Street School being unveiled tonight, will give Brooklyn parents new and compelling options for their middle school aged children.”