New York, NY – After years of work and advocacy, your voices have finally been heard! In September 2015 Beacon High School will move into its new home downtown, and 227 West 61st Street will be transformed into a brand new middle school and high school.

Everyone knows that School District 3, which spans the West Side from 59th Street to 124th Street and boasts some of the best public schools in New York City, has seen an explosion of growth in population over the last several years. This growth has created a dire need for new middle school seats to accommodate growing families and newcomers alike. The community has also expressed a desire for a high school that serves District 3 families.

After numerous public forums on the issue last year and months of advocacy by the CEC3 (District 3 Community Education Council), led by co-Presidents Joe Fiordaliso and Theresa Hammonds and Community Board 7, led by current Chair Elizabeth Caputo and former Chair Mark Diller, along with all the West Side elected officials, including Congressman Jerry Nadler, Comptroller Scott Stringer, Borough President Gale A. Brewer, Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, State Senators Brad Hoylman and Adriano Espaillat and Councilmembers Helen Rosenthal and Mark Levine, the community was able to demonstrate to the New York City Department of Education (DOE) that the new schools were desperately needed.

Students will be able to enroll in the new middle school for the September 2015 academic year. The school, along with critical information such as the school leader and programmatic details, will be listed in the Middle School Directory in time for the first round of middle school admissions. Many decisions still need to be made about the new school, and made quickly. The community will continue to work closely with the DOE in the coming weeks, and I urge you to share with me any suggestions that you might have.

Thank you for all of your advocacy on this issue. None of this would have been possible without your help!

Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal represents the 67th Assembly district, which includes the Upper West Side and parts of the Clinton/ Hell’s Kitchen neighborhoods in Manhattan.