By Michèle De Meglio
Sports management, film and music, and international studies – these are just some of the themes of the small schools that may end up in Lafayette High School’s building. City Department of Education (DOE) officials held a special meeting at the 2630 Benson Avenue school to announce details about the 10 schools contending for space in Lafayette, which is being phased out due to poor graduation rates and the underutilization of its building. At least two of the schools could open, each with a ninth grade class, in September. A third school could open in fall 2008. The proposal with the most community support is the World Vista International Studies Secondary School. According to Josh Thomases of the DOE’s Office of New Schools, the school would promote diversity and be “focused on serving English Language Learners.” It would be partnered with the United Chinese Association of Brooklyn (UCA), which led calls for change at Lafayette after a string of attacks on Asian-American students in recent years. “We need a school to represent our community,” said UCA President Steven Chung. “International High School will promote cultural exchange between the local students and the immigrant students.” Residents believe a school endorsing a message of tolerance would be a good fit at Lafayette, which the federal Justice Department chastised in 2004 for turning a blind eye to frequent attacks against Asian-American students. Thomases said the small schools that are ultimately placed in Lafayette will take into account the diverse ethnic makeup of Bensonhurst and try to meet the needs of residents. “Every school that enters this community,” he said, “[must] figure out how to connect to the community, engage the community and support the community.” Sara Lee McWhite, chair of Community Board 13’s Education and Library Committee, said the new schools must also cater to the needs of Coney Island residents. With the seaside community set for a major redevelopment that will bring new hotels and amusements to the area, McWhite said Lafayette’s building should be home to a small school teaching Coney Island teens about management and offering vocational training. “[Teens] need to have the opportunity to get those skills,” she explained, “so they can go to work.” “If this school is not geared to face this redevelopment, I’m going to be faced with a lot of kids with no future,” she added. “I don’t want kids sitting on benches, I don’t want drug dealers. I want them running things.” McWhite said she will work with Kingsborough Community College, the State University of New York (SUNY), or Offsite Education Services (OES), a citywide alternative high school program, to create a proposal for such a school. Another school being considered for Lafayette is the High School for Sports Management. The school opened in 2005 at a temporary location and now needs a permanent home. A move to Lafayette, Principal Robin Pitts explained, would be good for the high school and its students who would be able to take advantage of Lafayette’s state-of-the-art athletic field. Carmine DeBetta, president of Lafayette’s alumni association, said, “We’d like to see the field be utilized.” For some, the most pressing issue about opening small schools at Lafayette is whether or not the Benson Avenue building will retain the Lafayette name. Thomases assured, “The schools that will be in it become ‘X’ schools at the Lafayette High School Campus.”
