A citywide education panel on April 30 voted to close a Crown Heights school with dwindling enrollment and open a new one for struggling readers in its place, according to Chalkbeat.
The city’s Panel for Educational Policy nearly unanimously approved the Education Department’s plan to phase out M.S. 394, a prekindergarten-8 school over the next three school years.
This paves the way for the city to open the Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy, in the same building. It will be the second city-operated public school designed to serve students with dyslexia and other reading challenges, the news site reported.
The closure of M.S. 394 drew much disapproval, as many in the small school community, including the principal, were not informed about the DOE's plan.
Instead of closing the school at the end of this year, the PEP proposed phasing it out gradually with the 2027-2028 school year as its final year of operation, keeping its pre-K program open during that time, Chalbeat reported.
Officials also vowed to give current students priority admission to the new literacy academy. (Several surrounding Brooklyn districts, including 13, 16, 23, and 32 will also get an admissions priority.)
The new literacy academy will open in the building next year and serve students in grades 2-3 before it eventually expands to become a grades 2-8 school with specialized instruction for students who struggle with reading. Education Department officials said half of M.S. 394’s current first and second graders would be eligible based on mid-year reading assessments, Chalkbeat said.
