Brearley is one of those self-effacing Manhattan private schools which eschews publicity. The school would far rather just do a fine job of educating its students. And it has always done that to perfection. But Brearley suffers from the same problem most urban schools do: a severe shortage of space. So in an effort to redress that situation the school plans to renovate an apartment tower it recently bought. When the plans were made public, opposition from several quarters arose. Read about it in Eric Konigsberg's article entitled In School's Effort To Grow, Fear Of A Faded Ideal.

Personally, I have no quick answers either. I can only observe that some schools seem to expand and acquire new facilities without causing a firestorm of protest and opposition. When St. Thomas' Choir School moved into its new facility on West 58th Street in 1987, the only chorus one heard was the choir boys singing a jubilant Gloria In Excelsis Deo. Handling negative publicity is something every head and board needs to know how to do. Preparing For The Worst offers some basic advice.