By Suzanne Ma
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — The city's Department of Education believes they have come up with a solution to accommodate the expansion of a charter school without displacing students in neighboring public schools.
In a new proposal put forth by the DOE, Girls Prep Charter School would be allowed to expand in the building it now shares with P.S. 94 and P.S. 188.
The expansion will bring up to 250 girls into the shared school building on East Houston Street.
The DOE believes space can be made in next few years as current students at P.S. 94, a school catering to autistic children, graduate and move on.
Space is also available in P.S. 188, according to the DOE, which has a capacity of 1,010 students, but used just 67 percent of its space in the 2008-2009 year.
Parent representatives from P.S. 94 and P.S. 188 did not return calls for comment, but they have been very vocal in the past.
Most recently, they joined a forces with other District 1 schools to protest the Girls Prep expansion. They were supported by local City Council members Rosie Mendez and Alan Gerson and State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
The coalition is especially concerned with displacing the autistic students at P.S. 94.
This newest proposal comes after the DOE presented three proposals back in November of 2009, sparking outrage from parents and teachers at several District 1 Schools.
The public can now comment on the current proposal by e-mailing D01proposal@schools.nyc.gov or calling 718-935-4415.
A final decision will be made in late February.
