A school rezoning proposal affecting neighborhoods on the Brooklyn waterfront has raised questions about segregation and equity. NY1's Lindsey Christ filed the following report.

P.S. 8 in Brooklyn Heights is one of the city's highest-performing, and most overcrowded, elementary schools. So to alleviate the overcrowding, the Department of Education plans to re-draw the school zone lines, proposing that families who live in DUMBO and Vinegar Hill send their children to P.S. 307 instead.

However, while P.S. 8 serves a mostly white, mostly well-off student body, P.S. 307 serves students who are mostly black and live in public housing. And at a packed meeting about the proposal Wednesday, parents and community members say the Department of Education hasn't done enough to mitigate racial and economic tensions.

"To say race and class are not issues and that we're just going to grow and everybody is going to automatically flow together is just naive at best, dishonest at worst," said the Rev. Mark V.C. Taylor of the Church of the Open Door.

Parents from both school zones are concerned about the proposal, which they say has been rushed through with not enough community input.  

"I'm very interested in seeing a process laid out where the communities can come together and have two fabulous schools to serve all of our children," said parenet Andy Epstein. "I'm very interested in my children having a strong school to go to, along with everyone else in the zone."

Test scores are much lower at P.S. 307 than P.S. 8, but a new administration has garnered a lot of praise for turning things around and bringing in special programs. P.S. 307 parents say they've been disheartened to hear other parents suggest the school may not be good enough.

"If you're going to buy a house in a neighborhood across from the projects and you're going to live in a high-end apartment, why not come to your neighborhood school? Why not associate with your neighbors that are around here?" said Faraji Hannah-Jones, PTA co-president at P.S. 307.

"I'm sorry to say this - it seems to be a lot of their parents have the issue because I don't think the children, our children, have the issue, and we have to be careful what we're teaching the next generation," said Ed Brown of Community Education Council District 13.

The local education committee will vote on the rezoning plan in the coming weeks.