BY SARA HENDRICKSON | Phase one in the evolution of the 75 Morton St. middle school, opening in fall 2017, was a 10-year community crusade, mostly about bricks and mortar to get the school off the ground. Stunning architectural drawings and floor plans were unveiled a month ago to much admiration at a well-attended community meeting in the Village.
This next phase also requires dedicated community engagement, but is mostly about the school’s principal, programming and policies — including admissions, first and foremost. All this needs to take shape in less than 18 months, by fall 2016, in time for the middle school admissions season.
Before families scatter for the summer, the 75 Morton Community Alliance held a meeting on June 1 at P.S. 33 in Chelsea, at which about 50 parents walked through their to-do lists. The meeting was co-hosted by Community Education Council District 2 and Community Boards 2 and 4. Heather Lortie and Patricia Laraia of 75 MCA helped facilitate, along with Jeannine Kiely, chairperson of the C.B. 2 Schools and Education Committee.
“We are really going to work closely with the D.O.E. and ask what would it take to get the new leader on board by fall 2016,” said Nick Gottlieb, a member of the School Leadership and Programming Committee of 75 MCA. “We are hoping to burn a new path with how school leadership is selected. We want to think out of the box and not just consider assistant principals of city middle schools: We need to hire a leader who is an exciting and creative choice.”
75 MCA parent Alisa Ali, a psychology professor at New York University, has been proactive on the Partnership Committee for 75 MCA, reaching out to nearby partners — such as the new Whitney Museum, the Greenwich House Music School, N.Y.U. and The Public Theater — to create student programs.
75 MCA won’t address the subject of admissions quite yet, since C.E.C. 2 has been tackling that complex topic with D.O.E to come up with an improved approach for the whole district.
After committee updates, much of the evening was spent brainstorming on how to engage parents from all parts of School District 2, no small feat for a district that runs from the southern tip of Manhattan, to W. 59th St. on the West Side, and E. 96th St. on the East Side, and includes more than 30 elementary schools.
“As an Upper East Sider, one of my kids is already going to Chelsea for school every day,” said C.E.C. 2 member John Keller. “So 75 Morton is certainly on our radar screen for our younger kids.”
“It’s really dictated by public transportation,” added C.E.C. 2 President Shino Tanikawa. Direct subways and buses with no transfers are also important to families.
75 MCA used a “come one, come all” approach for its envisioning sessions during the last two years, convening large groups, mostly composed of parents, along with some educators and experts, who spent hours sharing viewpoints and ideas to coalesce around core decisions for the school and building design.
Despite these efforts, Lortie said, “There were underrepresented groups that are minorities in our district — socioeconomically, racially and learning needs.”
The new school at 75 Morton will include a District 75 school on the second floor with about 100 special-needs students, one of the largest concentrations in the city.
“The more our vision is representative of all children, the more these recommendations will hold weight with the D.O.E,” Lortie explained.
75 MCA has devoted much energy to outreach across District 2 elementary schools, but there are barriers. Parents can’t always attend evening meetings due to work schedules and childcare needs. Meetings have been primarily in the Village, so location can be an issue. Plus, not all parents are comfortable sharing their thoughts in an open forum.
Increasing parent involvement from Chinatown elementary schools is a goal, especially with their relative proximity to 75 Morton.
“It’s a Western process,” Lortie said, “and we need to make everyone feel welcome.”
At the June 1 meeting, facilitators described an approach used by the Lower East Side’s School District 1 to achieve broad parent representation for its planning sessions to develop a new school. A ticketing system was set up whereby each district elementary school was allocated two tickets for parents and a few more for teachers and administrators. Another fixed number of tickets were set aside for all others.
Facilitators then asked parents to break into small groups and consider contrasting approaches, including fully open versus ticketed meetings, or some hybrid thereof. After reconvening as a group and taking some polls through the show of hands with red, yellow and green index cards, a lively discussion ensued.
“I don’t know why we would limit involvement,” said Matthew Horowitz, who has been active on 75 MCA outreach to District 2 schools.
“Ticket holders might feel they have a responsibility and this might incentivize parents to come to meetings,” commented another parent. “Even if it is just symbolic, that might generate a push.”
Using a more virtual process gained some traction at the meeting: An online drop box could gather input anonymously from parents, educators and even students.
Consensus emerged that a ticket system was not enough to increase parent engagement and that new outreach action steps were needed. A list of ideas was generated by the group, ranging from asking principals to identify parent representatives, to coordinating with C.E.C. 2 members who are already liaisons with specific school clusters.
“We will need people to step up and make these ideas a reality,” urged Heather Campbell, a longtime 75 MCA parent.
Applause broke out when Emily Hellstrom, a parent with twin second graders at the Peck Slip School in the Financial District, didn’t hesitate to respond, declaring, “I will step up to a leadership role!”
C.B. 4 on the West Side (Chelsea/Hell’s Kitchen) has a keen interest in how the 75 Morton school plays out, especially since that area is experiencing some of the most explosive residential development in the city. Hudson Yards, a massive multiuse development in the far W. 30s, will include 5,000 residential units.
Ambur Nicosia and Lowell Kern, chairperson of C.B. 4’s Education Working Group, attended the 75 MCA meeting. They are already planning ahead.
“The Hudson Yards will have a new elementary school, but there may not be seats at 75 Morton for those kids by then,” Nicosia worried.
But Kern saw hope in the Village process.
“The more this 75 Morton process succeeds,” he said, “the more we can get a new school in Hell’s Kitchen.”
Next up on the agenda for the 75 MCA at their next October meeting will be the school’s principal and its programming. In the meantime, expect plenty of action, recruiting and outreach from 75 MCA during the summer months.
To join a committee, sign up for the mailing list or just get involved, go to www.75mca.com or Facebook.com\75MCA or e-mail 75morton@gmail.com .
