This joint letter Christine Quinn, Marty Markowitz, Daniel Squadron, Joan Millman, David Yassky
and Bill de Blasio went to the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Montessori School.
December 15, 2008
Helene Banks
President, Board of Trustees
Brooklyn Heights Montessori School
185 Court Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Dear Ms. Banks:
We are writing with serious concern regarding the fate of the Little Room program. As
described in Sunday’s New York Times, and as we have heard from parents and members of our
community, the Little Room is a high-quality, award-winning special education program for pre-
school children. We want to underscore the importance of preserving such a vital service for
Brooklyn residents.
As we understand it, the Brooklyn Heights Montessori School Board is planning to meet on
Tuesday to decide the future of the Little Room. We hope the Board will strongly consider
keeping the program and embracing the Little Room as part of the mission of the school.
At a minimum, we ask the Board to make a strong, clear commitment to ensuring the long-term
survival of the Little Room. Because public funding undergirds the program, we feel there is a
strong public interest in ensuring that the Little Room continues to survive and thrive. We
believe this would entail keeping the program at Montessori through the summer of 2011, and
hiring a new director capable of guiding the Little Room through a transition to another location.
We also ask for the opportunity to meet with the Board briefly prior to your discussion on
Tuesday so that we may present our concerns in person.
Mary Cooley of the office of State Senator-elect Daniel Squadron will serve as contact person
for the undersigned as a group. You can reach her at mary@danielsquadron.org or 646-472-
5712, or you may reach any of us at our offices.
We look forward to working with you, the affected parents and members of the community to
formulate a solution that preserves the Little Room and the essential services it provides for the
children who need them.
Sincerely,
Christine Quinn,
Marty Markowitz,
Daniel Squadron
Joan Millman
David Yassky
Bill de Blasio