If the Rochester School District’s internal problems were fixed, student achievement would increase. But then there are the external problems.
Mary Anna Towler
Mary Anna Towler is a transplant from the Southern Appalachians and is editor, co-publisher, and co-founder of City. She is happy to have converted a shy but opinionated childhood into an adult job. She credits a grandfather for instilling in her a love of politics. And she makes no apology for her liberal views.
Posted inNews & Opinion
The more things change: 48 years with the RCSD
As we look for ways to give Rochester’s children a good education, what will we try that we haven’t tried before?
Posted inNews & Opinion
Andreatta, CITY, and me: a letter to CITY readers
Last week, CITY and WXXI announced that David Andreatta, currently a reporter and columnist at the Democrat and Chronicle, will succeed me as CITY’s editor. David will join us on September 16, and we’ll start a six-week transition period, ending with my retirement on October 31. The selection process included interviews by representatives of both […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Neighborhood schools: popular but impossible?
For many people, a return to neighborhood schools wouldn’t be a hard sell. But as with many things, that’s easier said than done.
Posted inNews & Opinion
The future of Rochester in a few hundred pages
Part ‘vision,’ part hard realism, ‘Rochester 2034’ reflects changes in the city as well as new interests, hopes, and concerns.
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The fight over the RCSD
The Rochester City School District’s biggest problem isn’t who controls it. It’s the concentrated poverty so many of its children live in.
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In the RCSD-city fight, the children are losing
An ugly battle is heating up between City Hall and the school district, and nobody’s looking very good in this.
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RCSD will sue city over referendum on takeover
The Rochester School District plans to sue Mayor Lovely Warren and City Council to prevent a November referendum on a temporary state takeover of the school district. At a meeting last night, the school board approved a resolution directing the school district’s attorney to begin legal proceedings stopping what the district says is “an illegal […]
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Tim Hortons tragedy underscores child care needs
Little is known yet about what led to the tragic death of a 3-year-old child in a grease pit behind a Tim Hortons last week. Rochester police say the child’s mother had taken him to work at Tim Hortons that day because she didn’t have other care available. And while the child’s death has focused […]
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Donald Trump, racism, and a divided nation
Racism, xenophobia, nativism: These will be the foundation of the Republican Party’s campaign for the presidency, the House, and the Senate.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Mayor seeking funds for Parcel 5 project
City Council will vote on July 23 on a request for $4.7 million in state funds to create an enclosed entertainment venue at Midtown’s Parcel 5. The Warren administration is considering transforming much of Parcel 5 into a Rochester version of Kansas City Live!, a block-long, covered complex that hosts concerts, major sports broadcasts, and […]
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Dade takes over
It’s reasonable to wonder whether Terry Dade knows what he’s gotten himself into as the new superintendent of Rochester’s schools. But Dade, who is days into a job that is certain to test him, is hardly naive. He’s keenly aware of the public’s skepticism, frustration, and disillusionment about the district. And in a recent interview […]
