U. City New School gets 2-yr. reprieve

Penn announced that the school and the Parent-Infant Center will stay put while a new public school is built. Reversing an earlier decision, the University announced yesterday that two institutions located on the property where Penn plans to build a new public school will remain there during the two-year construction process. But while the University City New School and the Parent-Infant Center are to stay, the Penn-owned Penn Children's Center, located at the same spot, will still have to move, according to Steve Schutt, the University's pointman on the school project. "We reached a conclusion that the costs of relocating the two entities over the transition years would be too large," Schutt said. After the new school opens in September 2001, both institutions will likely need to find a new home. Schutt said the PIC will probably remain on or near the current site, but plans for the 110-student UCNS are still unclear. Penn officials hope that the not-for-profit school will eventually merge into the new public school. Many parents, though, have expressed concerns about closing the UCNS down. The University announced last summer that they were entering a partnership with the School District of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers to fund a new public school serving the University City area. While the city is paying for its construction, Penn has promised to pay $1,000 a year for each student -- expected to total $700,000 annually. Officials have contemplated several different ways to design the site to allow construction around the existing buildings, but no definite plans have been made. Although the University City New School and PIC are to remain at the site, they may move between existing buildings during construction. The University is committed to designing the construction "in such a way that UCNS and PIC will be able to operate with as few problems of any kind over the next couple of years," Schutt said. The PIC will be relocated this summer, but its new location has not been announced. Schutt said that could come as early as tomorrow. UCNS and PIC officials were quick to commend the University. "Being able to stay on the property is a very positive thing," said UCNS head Betty Ratay. "It will provide stability in a relatively unstable time." The decision also means that the University --Ewhich had promised to pay for any relocations -- will continue to offer a tuition assistance program for children of Penn faculty and staff enrolled at the UCNS. The school will continue to bus about 30 middle school students one block south to another facility, as there isn't enough room in the current building. Marni Sweet, director of the PIC, expressed confidence that the decision will work out for the best. "We have been assured that they will do everything they need to do so the children will be safe, and that there will be as little impact as possible on the programs of the PIC and the UCNS," Sweet said. "And I trust that they will." One of the upcoming challenges, Sweet said, was finding a way to provide outdoor space for the institutions while construction is taking place.

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