Posts Tagged ‘Little Room’

The New York Post recently ran a story on the letter written by State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblywoman Joan Millman and Councilmembers Steve Levin and Brad Lander which outlined some options on how to help save The Little Room.

The letter suggests two options for saving the school.

One calls for BHMS to extend the deadline for closing Little Room to August 2011. This, the elected officials said, would give YAI Network “ample time to complete all of the necessary paperwork and to identify and properly prepare a new home” for Little Room beginning in September 2011.

The second option is for BHMS to allow YAI to operate Little Room in its current location at the Montessori school next academic year. YAI would rent the space and use the extra time to find a permanent site.

BHMS, however, is not budging. [NYPost.com]

There was an article posted on the New York Times City Room Blog yesterday detailing the events surrounding the closure of the Little Room. As Paul Nelson (Assemblywoman Joan Millman’s Chief of Staff) correctly pointed out, we needed another year, and BHMS refused to consider it.

But some parents and elected officials including State Assemblywoman Joan L. Millman and State Senator Daniel L. Squadron, whose districts include Brooklyn Heights, say that the school is not allowing enough time to find a workable space for the Little Room, and is prematurely shutting it down when there are still other options.

“At this point, the ball is really in Brooklyn Heights Montessori’s court,” said Paul Nelson, chief of staff for Ms. Millman. “We’ve tried to do too much in too short a time and we need another year, and they’ve refused to consider it. We’re going to keep asking them.” [NYTimes.com]

Here is the board’s response to our letter of January 11, while they “appreciated our efforts and concern”, their position remains unchanged. From where I stand, this is the final nail in the coffin— it will take something short of a miracle to keep the program alive now.

Dear Little Room Families,

Thank you for your thoughtful letter. It was clearly the product of many hours of work, trying to make sense of a very difficult situation. We appreciate your effort and concern.

First, please know that the letter has been shared with the Board of Trustees, and that the Board has been kept abreast of all the developments you outline. You are correct that the Board was optimistic that a new sponsor would be found, and in fact, The Little Room Transition Task Force did identify two seriously interested, potential sponsors. Unfortunately, the regulatory approvals needed for the second sponsor to move forward have not been forthcoming; and we understand will not be, despite our, their, and counsels’ extensive efforts, and the political outreach of interested elected officials.

As you accurately stated in your letter to us, the regulatory structure sets up a “Catch-22″ for any sponsor. The state requires that a sponsor expend the effort, time, money, and other resources to admit students and ready the space with no preliminary approval, taking the risk that there will be no program for those students and no income to cover the costs. From our close communication with the potential sponsor throughout the process, it became clear that it is a heavy risk for a sponsor to bear and one that can be eliminated only by the State Education Department (SED) granting the pending request for preliminary approval. SED has advised that they believe no such preliminary approval is possible under the existing regulations, and they will not grant the requested exception.

We hope this clarifies for all of you the crux of the problem. The Board has considered the matter fully, and the decision to end BHMS sponsorship of The Little Room in August 2010 remains unchanged.

Thank you again for your continued interest.

Helene Banks, Board Chair
Dane Peters, Head of School

12 Dean St. (Brooklyn, NY)

With the Little Room program still officially homeless after the 2010 school year, parents of Little Room children were shocked and dismayed to receive a mailing from BHMS trumpeting its $1.9 million purchase of the facility at 12 Dean St. The “strategic goal” of the new building is to increase enrollment in the general ed program at BHMS by approximately 40 students.

While the future for BHMS looks rosy, unfortunately the same can’t be said for the future of The Little Room: the program is still without a permanent home after 2010 and the November 15, 2009 deadline for winding down the Little Room looms large. In recent weeks, the Board of BHMS voted to move ahead with pursuing the transition of The Little Room to a new home at The League Treatment Center in DUMBO, but this process is by no means complete, nor is it even assured that it will happen at this point.

The Brooklyn Paper picked up on BHMS expansion story and they have some quotes from Head of School Dane Peters (whom they refer to as Dane Smith), who once again publicly emphasized out the financial drain of the Little Room on the school’s resources.

The push to separate the Little Room from the Brooklyn Heights Montessori School is due to irreconcilable financial and philosophical differences, Smith [sic] said, explaining that the state-regulated special-ed track is incompatible with the independent Montessori teaching model, in which students do not receive grades.

It’s also a drain on the school’s resources because the state’s reimbursements do not cover the Little Room’s expenses. Its students do not pay tuition either.

“It couldn’t sustain itself. We would have had to cut staff salaries,” Smith [sic] told The Brooklyn Paper. “The physical plant is costly. The state will only pay so much for overhead.” [TheBrooklynPaper.com]

Here’s what Dane Peters didn’t say to The Brooklyn Paper:

a) Like their Montessori counterparts, the 3 and 4 year olds enrolled in The Little Room program do not receive grades.

b) While Little Room students “do not pay tuition”, the State of New York pays the school for each child enrolled in the Little Room program.

c) BHMS is currently not receiving the maximum reimbursement per Little Room student from the State; Little Room parents offers to fundraise have been rebuffed by the school; and

d) In Roger Clark’s story for NY1, BHMS spokesperson Bob Liff, stated that, “…finances are always an issue with private education, that is not the core issue that’s driving this discussion.”

Scans of the BHMS “12 Dean St Purchase” mailing after the jump.

(more…)

Dan Wood, former Principal of the Harlem Success Academy has been appointed as interim Head of The Little Room. He will officially begin his tenure on February 15, 2009. Dan Wood fills the vacancy left by the departure of Sonia Nachuk in late Decemeber 2008.

Despite the recent decision regarding the future of the Little Room, the school is currently recruiting 4 year olds for the 2009-2010 academic year. So, if your child is currently enrolled in a program and you are not happy with the placement, or if you have a 4 year old and you think will need a placement next year, please call Elizabeth Kooperkamp at 718-858-5100.

You can view the NY1 piece on The Little Room on Time Warner Cable channel 1110 under Boroughs->Brooklyn->Little Room Closing. The Roger Clark story will be available until February 17, 2009.

According to the BHMS calendar, there is an open house at the Little Room on Friday, January 9th, 2009 at 9:00 AM.

This is a copy of a letter sent to local elected officials from Hope N. Prosky, director of Grace Church School in Brooklyn, NY.

December 17, 2008

To Whom It May Concern:

As the Director of Grace Church School in Brooklyn Heights, I am deeply concerned about the future of The Little Room. For many years, The Little Room classes, evaluations and related services have enhanced our downtown Brooklyn neighborhoods. Over the years, our Grace Church School children have been serviced by this superb organization; the staff are disheartened and dismayed by the possibility of such a loss to the community. Many pre-school children will be unable to partake of the essential services The Little Room provides.

As the Director of Grace Church School and its School Psychologist, I sincerely hope that serious consideration will be given to keeping The Little Room at BHMS!

Sincerely,

Hope N. Prosky

Read the full story here.

Time’s Short for Little Room
By Michele De Meglio

The Brooklyn Heights Montessori School will maintain the Little Room program for children with special needs through 2010 – but parents aren’t celebrating.

“I’m not happy. None of us are.,” said Joyce Creidy, whose twin sons are in their second year at Little Room. “It’s unfortunate that they really don’t see future children who this program as being enough.”

Montessori, located at 185 Court Street, agreed to keep the program until August 2010 but next year to accept fewer than in year’s past. The Little would have to find a home before the start of the 2010-2011 school year.
…
[Park Slope Courier]

While this is a good article, I believe there are a few points that require clarification:

1) I’m not sure it’s 100% accurate to say that the Little Room will accept fewer children into the program for the upcoming academic year. There are 19 children aging out of the program this year and I believe it is the intent of the administration at BHMS to have “a full complement of students [next year] to retain the integrity of the program.” (December 17, 2008 email)
2) In the same email, Dane Peters, Head of School at BHMS, informed the community that if a viable alternative location for The Little Room was not found by November 15, 2009, steps would be taken to wind down the program the following summer.
3) Helene Banks, President of the BHMS Board of Trustees, informed the attendees at the public meeting on December 18, 2008 that the Little Room program would consist solely of 4 year olds in the upcoming academic year (2009-2010).