Mayor Bill de Blasio. Image credit: CityLand

The delay comes less than a week before all students were scheduled to return to in-person instruction. On September 17, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio, DOE Chancellor Richard Carranza, United Federation of Teachers (UFT) President Michael Mulgrew and Council of School Supervisors and Administrators (CSA) President Mark Cannizzaro announced a delay in the return to in-person instruction at NYC public schools. This is the second delay in the return to in-person instruction. Schools will physically reopen for students in a phased plan over a couple of weeks. (read more…)

Mayor Bill de Blasio and DOE Chancellor Richard Carranza announce the City’s preliminary plan to reopen schools at a socially distanced press conference on July 8, 2020. Image Credit: Mayoral Photography Office

The City’s plan offers three basic models schools can base their scheduling on to rotate students between in-person and remote learning. On July 8, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Department of Education Chancellor Richard Carranza announced the City’s preliminary plan to reopen public schools in September. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have physically been closed since mid-March and operated remotely for the remainder of the school year. The “blended learning” approach will allow for students to rotate in groups to have both in-person and remote instruction every week. (read more…)

Image credit: School Construction Authority.

The report requested school space studies as a part of ULURP among other recommendations.  In response to this article, on September 23, 2019, the School Construction Authority contacted Cityland to respond to Bronx Borough President Rubin Diaz Jr.’s recommendations. (read more…)

Bronx Borough President Rubin Diaz Jr.’s Proposed Changes to the School Construction Authority aim to address overcrowding and other issues. Image Credit: Bronx Borough President’s Office

Report outlines action plan for the School Construction Authority to address public school overcrowding and cost proposals. On September 4, 2019, Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. released a report outlining an action plan for the School Construction Agency to address public school overcrowding and school construction cost proposals. The School Construction Authority is charged with the building and maintenance of public school space in New York City. (read more…)

Former Webber Packing House.

The landmarking of two buildings constructed as schools and a former meatpacking plant receive support at public hearing. On February 13, 2018, Landmarks held hearings on the potential designations of three structures as individual City landmarks in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. The three buildings are the former Richard Webber Harlem Packing House, at 207 East 119th Street; the former Public School 109, at 215 East 99th Street; and the former Benjamin Franklin High School, at 260 Pleasant Avenue. The buildings were identified by landmarks staff in a survey of the area’s historical and architectural resources as part of the East Harlem Neighborhood Plan and anticipated East Harlem Rezoning. (read more…)