A source close to the developer slated to repurpose the Bedford Union Armory in Crown Heights denied they are interested in also redeveloping W.E.B. DuBois High School fifty feet across the street at 402 Eastern Parkway.
The Department of Education recently announced they are shuttering the school and reverse busing the 134 at-risk students of color next year out of the increasingly gentrified neighborhood to the Brownsville Academy High School – in one of the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods.
Ironically, the principal of the school and its students were very much looking forward to the armory as the school doesn’t have a gym, and the armory proposal includes a state-of-the-art recreational with at least 50% of memberships reserved for community members at discounted rates of just $10 a month for adults and $8 for a child under 16.
The timing of the move, along with its’ prime real estate location, has a number of longtime community activists saying the de Blasio administration is in collusion with developers to empty the building of its at-risk students and either sell or lease it, or repurpose it as a school for the better-monied people moving into the neighborhood.
But the source for BFC Partners, the developer behind the armory project, said the developers “never looked at it [the school].”
Meanwhile, the local Democratic District Leader, Geoffrey Davis, whose James E. Davis Stop Violence Foundation, has secured discounted space in the armory, said moving the kids out of the neighborhood and shuttering the school is outrageous.
“The thought of removing these children to another location is absolutely absurd. I will organize and do whatever is necessary so the DOE will know how serious I am about giving these kids a second chance in the neighborhood where they live. I am a product of second chances so I know the importance of it. Day in and day out we’re in a fight against violence and W.E.B. DuBois is the kind of school that helps prevent violence,” said Davis.
“The City Council just passed overwhelmingly the armory deal including having a recreation center and organizations like mine. Having W.E.B. DuBois High School directly across the street is an ideal location for them [students] to have more activities to build up their character. We say don’t kill the school but support it and build it up,” he added.
Public Advocate Letitia James and City Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo (D-Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Crown Heights) have also officially joined the ranks of local electeds fighting for the transfer school to remain in the area.
“Closing a school impacts not only students and teachers, but an entire community — and parents, educators, and community leaders must be consulted on significant decisions such as school closures and consolidations. W.E.B. DuBois High School is a vital educational resource to students in Crown Heights, and we must fully fund this school instead of pulling the plug on the community that depends upon it. I will continue to fight alongside parents, students, and community leaders to ensure that all of our schools are programmatically and fiscally sound,” said James.
Cumbo said while she commends the DOE for identifying new ways to enhance the academic experience of our scholars, the decision to reform existing policies or relocate schools are too often made without regard to the devastating impact on the surrounding community.
“W.E.B. Dubois High School has been a beacon of hope for thousands of students who are now on the path towards success after receiving additional support and services,” said Cumbo.
