State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia released the names last week of 144 New York public schools that are either “struggling schools” or “persistently struggling schools” as of July 2015 — these are the lowest-performing schools in the state. The announcement came in conjunction with a trip she made to Rochester and Buffalo. Fourteen Rochester schools […]
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
New SED head pledges cooperation with teachers
In a recent interview with WXXI, New York State’s new education commissioner, MaryEllen Elia, struck a civil tone when talking about the state’s teachers. “I’m going to work very hard to have teachers be part of the agenda to support students,” she said. “That will go a long way for teachers to feel like they […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Schools for sale
City Hall is looking for buyers for two of Rochester’s oldest school buildings. Abraham Lincoln School 22 at 27 Zimbrich Street and Henry Longfellow School 36 at 85 St. Jacob Street are both in the northeast section of the city. The Rochester school district has closed numerous schools over the last 15 years because of […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Curbing workplace aggression
Talya Meyerowitz recently asked a group of CEO’s and entrepreneurs to think about a personal encounter that made them feel belittled and humiliated. It didn’t matter if the incident had just happened or if it occurred 20 years ago. “Go back to that feeling, whether it was on the school yard or in the board […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Schools are no haven for transgender youth
A recent report from the New York Civil Liberties Union says that discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming youth is pervasive in the state’s public schools. During the 2012-2013 school year, there were nearly 25,000 reported incidents of harassment related to gender stereotypes and sexual orientation, according to the report, “Dignity For All? Discrimination Against […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
The Vargas future
Superintendent Bolgen Vargas’s contract with the Rochester school district ends June 30, 2016. While it may seem premature to be thinking about it, the school board will need to have a serious discussion in the next few months about whether to renew that contract or start the search for a new superintendent. It’s hardly a […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Marriage equality wins
The US Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex marriage is legal right. The 5 to 4 ruling is a major victory for gay rights advocates and it comes as public opinion has largely shifted in favor of marriage equality in recent years. Local LGBT and marriage equality activists will hold a rally today in support of […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
A zero-waste world
Khoury Humphrey has a philosophy: to ignore a problem is to condone it. This viewpoint led him to begin thinking of ways to feed the homeless and poor in the City of Rochester, and to eventually form Flower City Pickers — an idea he came up with while recovering from an illness earlier this year. […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
RCSD’s busing morass
Busing city students has been a source of controversy for several years and for multiple reasons. Many parents and school officials want the school district to bus their children to school rather than having them walk, citing neighborhood safety concerns and the need to increase attendance. But the cost of transporting city students has mushroomed […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Busing vote delayed
School board member Malik Evans calls the RCSD’s transportation budget unsustainable. Board members are clearly unhappy with the new RTS proposal to bus students.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Piling on the pope
Say what you want about Pope Francis, but after 15 years of sex scandals involving priests, this pontiff made it cool to be Catholic again. Tomorrow, Pope Francis will deliver a papal encyclical on the environment. And later this year, he’ll visit the US and speak at the United Nations just before the UN’s meeting […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Student busing situation gets messier
The Rochester school board will review a resolution at its meeting on Thursday, which may mean the framework of an agreement has been reached between the city school district and RTS on busing for the next school year. But there are no details available about the contract being proposed – an $11.4 million, one-year deal […]
