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For 25 years, P.S. 199, an elementary school for neighborhood kids, and Center School, a well-regarded intermediate school that attracts kids from as far north as Harlem, have shared a building on West 70th Street.

But P.S. 199 is 200 students over capacity and needs more space. So the Department of Education wants the Center School to move out, resulting in some angry parents.

"The Department of Ed should've recognized that the trends were that families were staying in Manhattan, family size was growing, and the infrastructure was not keeping up," said Center School parent Mary DiPalermo. "So now that the crisis is here, what's happening is the fastest, quickest fix is being offered up and that's simply not good enough."

The DOE is backing a plan to move the Center School north, into P.S. 9 on West 84rd Street. But actor Cynthia Nixon, another Center School parent, worries about how a move would affect her daughter.

"If the Center School gets moved next year that'll be her 8th-grade year, the year that she is writing many essays, taking many exams, traveling to high schools," said Nixon. "It's going to be a tumultuous year anyway."

Whether Center School will move is an issue that has pitted families against one another. But P.S. 199 parents say it's nothing personal, it's just about numbers.

"It's really shocking to see building after building go up and not to assume families will come to our neighborhood and choose our school," said P.S. 199 parent Michelle Ciulla Lipkin. "That is something that needs to be addressed and needs to continue to be addressed because development is not slowing down."

Lipkin says the priority needs to be letting neighborhood children to go to their neighborhood school.

"People who live here go to this school," she said. "Middle schools are district-wide. They can be the same school in another location. If we do not gain more space next year, it will be a disaster for our school."

The Department of Education said in a statement, "We are not going to deny that these are hard choices, but we can ensure that the schools will continue to be excellent."

The district's Community Education Council, an elected board comprised of area public school parents, will have the final say. A vote is scheduled for next week.