Updates from the October 2026 PTO meeting with the principal - another step forward!

On Thursday, October 22, 2026, we had a successful in-person PTO meeting. The bottom line of the meeting was that a town hall will be organized at the school for the community to hear directly from the Department of Education (Superintendent, Mr. Renzo Martinez) and representatives from the School Construction Authority (SCA). Your support was essential for the timely scheduling of this event. More signatures will make the town hall a success.

Here is a summary of the discussion about the construction during the PTO meeting:

Ms. Emel Topbas-Mejia, our principal, started by sharing the school Mission and Vision. Here is the school vision: Hudson Cliffs is a neighborhood school where we empower thinkers who are productive members of their community.

Ms. Topbas-Mejia shared the process leading to the decision to build an addition to the school.

Ms. Topbas-Mejia explained that after the class-size law passed in 2022, she immediately reached out to the superintendent to understand how PSIS187 could comply. Ms. Topbas-Mejia explained that this process started over a year and a half ago and that she’s been in near-constant contact with the superintendent about it since then.  She mentioned that communication is very important to her.  [We are still trying to get the SLT and PTO minutes from late 2022 to now to be posted, as most of the community was not aware of the plans until we started the petition. Please ask our representatives].

Ms. Topbas-Mejia said the DOE reviewed all alternatives, and the only viable solution identified was to build an addition to the building. Then the SCA took over and has been in the design phase for the past year or so, but she has not been part of it, so she cannot share any information she does not have about the new building size or location.

Ms. Topbas-Mejia said she compiled questions about the addition based on the survey distributed to families and asked the SCA to answer the questions. Once she received them, she shared them in early October. [A similar FAQ document was written with the SLT in June 2026, but was not shared with the community]. 

Ms. Topbas-Mejia then shared the timeline as provided by the SCA:

1. Design phase (12-18 months) - almost completed. [The SCA did not mention that this phase had started during their presentation to the community board in June 2026].
2. Bidding and award phase (3-4 months) Expected to end in the spring.
3. Construction (24-36 months) Expected to start in spring 2027 and finish in September 2030.

Ms. Topbas-Mejia then reviewed the new plan as it was recently shared with her (updated since the beginning of the month). For context, the current building has 35 classrooms (not counting special education classrooms, an art room and 2 science classrooms, offices, kitchen/dining room, etc.). Here is the current addition update ( larger than the one sent in October 2026) : 

List of Spaces totaling 20 general education classrooms, 5 music/art/science classrooms, 13 offices and suites, a kitchen, and a dining hall:

• 7 early childhood classrooms
• 9 general education classrooms
• 4 special education classrooms
• 1 Music Room
• 1 PS Art classroom
• 1 PS Science resource room
• 1 MS Art classroom  [in addition to the existing classroom in the existing building]
• 1 MS Science demonstration lab with preparation room [in addition to the 2 existing classrooms in the current building]
• 4 General and Principal offices [instead of current offices in the existing building]
• 3 Supervisory offices
• 1 guidance counselor suite
• 1 teachers' and aides' work room
• 1 kitchen and dining hall [instead of current kitchen and dining hall in the existing building] 
• 1 staff luncheon 
• 1 medical suite
• 1 custodial office and ancillary support spaces
• 1 Parents’ community room

Ms. Topbas-Mejia reiterated that she is not part of the design team and does not know anything about it. She said she will share what she knows first with the teachers and staff, then with the parents. She reiterated that the addition is only to meet the small class size law and not to increase enrollment at the school. [It remains unclear why the new building will have so many classrooms or what will happen to the current operational and support facilities after these facilities move into the new building. However, the math does not make sense, as to keep the current enrollment numbers, the school needs 8-9 additional classrooms to meet the small class size mandate.]

Ms. Topbas-Mejia explained that the school is overcrowded, with 770 current students, well above the target capacity of 579 students (based on the small class size law, with 3 general education classes and one special education class per grade). [It remains unclear why or what led to this overenrollment, only the math behind this definition. Also, no details were given on the Fair Student Funding formula and how all the extra teachers will be paid. See the Patch article for more information]. 

Two teachers actively participated in the open forum and emphasized that they do not want the school split, and that it is important for PSIS187 to remain a K-8 school (no mention of the pre-K). They also said they oppose building an addition and that alternatives exist. They urged parents to think critically and show how they care about the community. One teacher called the proposed annex an “unneeded McMansion,” and the comment drew applause.

A total of 9 parents asked questions during the open forum; all but one spoke against building an annex and emphasized the importance of the schoolyard. Many, including one 8th-grade student, emphasized the schoolyard as a place to make memories and a central part of the school community.

One parent mentioned that just getting a bid on who will construct the new building can take more than 2 years, so the timeline given by the SCA was not realistic. This parent also noted that studies show a schoolyard and recess are no less important than small class sizes, and that taking away the schoolyard would run counter to the spirit of the small class size law.

Several parents asked about the impact of construction noise and dust on teachers' ability to teach and kids' ability to learn.

Several parents asked about the number of classes in the planned addition, the estimated construction cost, and how it aligns with the goal of reducing class size. Ms. Topbas-Mejia reiterated that the plan is not to add more students to the school.

One parent pointed out the safety risks from overcrowding the schoolyard by making it smaller, with the new building taking a significant portion of the space.

The parent who spoke in favor of the addition said that we should not reject an opportunity to invest in public education and that this money is not taken away from anyone.

The meeting was adjourned at 8 PM. Therefore, Ms.  Topbas-Mejia did not have time to answer most of those questions. However, as mentioned above, she promised she is working with the superintendent to organize a town hall where the community can ask questions directly to DOE and SCA representatives. 

While we cannot expect Celeste Ramirez, the SCA President, to be present, that would be amazing… If you know or know someone who knows her, or one of her Vice Presidents (Cora Liu, VP of Capital Planning, Thierry Paret, VP of Architecture and Engineering, or Gordon Tung, VP of Construction Management), please share the petition with them.

We expect Eric Herman (DOE District Senior Associate Director, Planning) and Caitlin Whittemore (DOE Senior Associate Director of Planning, Manhattan Schools Planning) to come, as they did for the CEC6 and the CB12 meetings. However, we hope to see Max Applebaum, the Director of Space Planning, New York City Public Schools (NYCPS), and Christopher Mangiero, the Executive Director of Space Management, NYCPS. If you know them, or know someone who does, please help us spread the word by sharing this petition with them.

We’ve reached 1,197 signatures on this petition—thank you so much for your support!

Could you help us keep the momentum going by sharing it? Sending it directly via text or email all make a big difference. Anyone using the schoolyard, or hoping their children and grandchildren will, can sign!

Thanks for being part of this!