Interim school superintendents are often thought of as placeholders: people who keep the lights on and the buses running until a permanent leader is found. That’s not a description that fits Linda Cimusz, who was thrust into the interim job with the Rochester school district after a health crisis felled the school board’s pick. Though […]
Tim Louis Macaluso
I was born and raised in the Rochester area, but I lived in California and Florida before returning home about 12 years ago. I'm a vegetarian and live with my husband and our three pugs. I cover education, health care, and local politics for City.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Signs of intelligent life
Babies can’t talk, but they have a lot to share about how our brains develop
Posted inNews & Opinion
Superintendent search firm selected
The Rochester school board has chosen Western New York Educational Service Council to conduct its search for a permanent superintendent of city schools. The firm, which is based in Buffalo, consults top district management and has conducted numerous searches for high level school personnel throughout New York State. The search could be completed in a […]
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Childhood trauma shown to have long-lasting impact
Acing an exam is usually a good thing, but when it involves research into adverse childhood experiences, it’s a very different matter. These experiences can have serious consequences on children’s performance in school. About 200 health and education professionals met today at Monroe Community College to learn more about ACE research, exposure to childhood trauma, […]
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Hijab Day brings celebration and some controversy to School 58
Dozens of female students, faculty, and staff at School 58: World of Inquiry wrapped their heads in scarves today to show their support for Eman Muthana, a 10th grader. Muthana proposed allowing the school’s women to celebrate World Hijab Day, and she’s a bit overwhelmed by the response. In a beautifully written letter to School […]
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RCSD exploring military option
In the mid-2000’s, many school districts across the country challenged military recruiters’ access to their high schools. Recruiters had high quotas to meet the demands of the Iraq war. And even though the No Child Left Behind Act required high school administrators to give military recruiters similar access as college recruiters to students or risk […]
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New York earns a D for its K-12 public school system
The Network for Public Education recently issued a 50-state report card on the relative condition of the country’s public education system. New York didn’t rank as failing, but close: it got a “D.” But to be fair, the politics of teacher-bashing and union-busting have earned their desired results. The NPE report evaluated each state on […]
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RCSD prepares for phase two of massive buildings overhaul
Four city schools – School 7, East High, Monroe High, and School 16 — are the Rochester school district’s “highest needs” buildings, according to the group leading a massive overhaul of city schools. And they would receive the most attention in the second phase of the $1.2 billion facilities modernization program. The huge construction project, […]
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Commissioner Elia checks on RCSD
Considering the recent flurry of leadership changes at the Rochester City School District, it’s not surprising that New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia made a trip here last week. Elia asked for a meeting with school board President Van White and Regents Wade Norwood and T. Andrew Brown. White assured Elia, he says, that […]
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Guns on campus
Rochester Institute of Technology’s announcement late last year that some of its security officers will have access to firearms raised a few eyebrows. Maybe that’s because college campuses, despite some recent eruptions of violence, still conjure up tranquil images of students hunkered down in libraries. The thought of guns on campuses makes many people shudder. […]
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Health crisis forces Lowengard out as RCSD interim superintendent
Linda Cimusz (above), who has been with the district only two weeks, is the school board’s pick to replace him.
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Calamity in Puerto Rico has families worried here
Puerto Rico is teetering on the edge of a Greece-style financial calamity. The US territory defaulted on its debt payment earlier this month, failing to pay $174 million on the roughly $72 billion it owes lenders. And Rochester’s large Puerto Rican community is extremely concerned; many have family members living on the island. Thousands of […]
