Charter Moving Into P.S. 233 in Brownsville

Pictured: P.S. 233 Langston Hughes. Image via Google Maps.

BROWNSVILLE, BROOKLYN — The path has been cleared for a charter school to move into P.S. 233 Langston Hughes in Brownsville this fall.

On Wednesday night, the Panel for Educational Policy, a 13-member advisory body headed by city schools chancellor Carmen Fariña, approved co-locating The New American Charter School inside the public school.

Langston Hughes currently has 545 students in grades K-5, according to its website. New American, which is currently a K-3 school, has been operating out of It Takes A Village Academy, located in East Flatbush.

At its meeting, the Panel's decision was protested by a large group of vocal parents and teachers from P.S. 233 who have worked for months against the measure.

The group says the charter school will take up space needed for cherished programming, including that benefiting special education students.

Before the panel's vote, Councilwoman Inez Barron and Assemblyman Nick Perry, who represent parts of Brownsville, spoke out against the co-location. A statement against the move was also read on behalf of public advocate Letitia James.

Even so, the measure was approved by a vote of 7 to 5.

Fred Baptiste, the Brooklyn representative on the Panel, voted against the co-location, saying that the body shouldn't ignore the parents and officials gathered in opposition to the move.

But Fariña said that after consulting with the principals of both P.S. 233 and American Academy, she came to believe the co-location "was a situation I think actually could benefit everybody."

"There's no program that's going to be taken out of the school," Fariña said, in between interruptions from angry meeting attendees. "It may need to be in a different place than it is now, but we'll go back to ensure that not one program is changed."

The chancellor also said American Academy has offered to share resources, such as "after school programs and many other things."

"This is one of the places that I am willing to be personally committed to," Fariña said. "I don't make promises I don't keep."