NY1 has taken a unique, behind-the-scenes look at one of the major schools the city wants to close. The city says shutting down Paul Robeson is the best solution to the many problems plaguing the Brooklyn high school. But as NY1's Education reporter Lindsey Christ shows in her final report, the city still has no answer to the fundamental question -- who is ready to do a better job for Robeson's struggling students?

If the Department of Education has its way, the Panel for Educational Policy will vote Tuesday to begin closing Paul Robeson High School in Crown Heights, Brooklyn this September. But unlike most of the other 20 schools the city wants to close, there is no immediate plan to replace Robeson.

"If students make that choice to cut class or stay home when their school is a few blocks away, I don't understand the reasoning of sending on them on a train further to get them to go to school," said Robeson student Victor Rodriquez.

There are more than 1,000 students at Robeson, and while the city says there are other Brooklyn high schools with space, teachers wonder if those schools will be willing to take all the students with special needs who now go to Robeson.

Education officials say they eventually plan to replace the school but they are not going to rush.

"We want to take the coming year to work with the community here to create a new school that gives all of our children great opportunities," said Deputy School Chancellor Kathleen Grimm.

Meanwhile, a block away, other children will be getting a great opportunity right away at a brand new high school building that will be ready in September. It's just for charter schools and will only be open to students who were in charter middle schools.

The construction project is being overseen by a team that includes Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s daughter, Emma, whose employer, the Robin Hood Foundation, split the cost of the multi-million dollar building with the city.

While these charter schools have friends with deep pockets, statistics show they do not serve as high a percentage of needy students as Robeson. At Uncommon Charter High School, 66 percent of the students are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, compared to at least 83 percent of the students at Robeson. Just 3 percent of the charter students are classified as special education, while at Robeson it is 15 percent.

While charter schools generally serve very few homeless students, Robeson has seen an upsurge, from 16 students last year to 156 homeless students this year.

"Phasing out schools and only putting selective schools in certain schools is making students who were doing the right thing, where are they going to go?" said college advisor Jacqueline Hudson. "There is nowhere for them to go, and that is a big concern."

Many teachers, administrators and students agree that Paul Robeson High School is overwhelmed by the challenges of serving so many of these students, but most don't think that closing the school is the solution. They wonder where the students will go and they question whether any other school, without more resources and support, would be able to do any better.