Superintendent Bolgen Vargas and the Rochester school board ventured into entirely new territory this week. What happens next with East High School is going to pull back the curtain and tell us a lot about how effectively school officials really operate. It’s looking more probable that the school board will choose working with the University […]
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
UR says it won’t be rushed into rescue of East High
University of Rochester officials say they’re interested in helping East High School, but they won’t be rushed. UR President Joel Seligman has sent a letter of intent to State Education Commissioner John King, agreeing to submit a proposal for East if certain conditions can be agreed upon by King, UR, the Rochester City School District, […]
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An imperfect peace
The Middle East could be headed for more turmoil. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended recent peace negotiations with Palestinian leaders over the possibility of Hamas being part of a unified government Israel and the United States view Hamas as a terrorist organization. But the Palestinian political parties — Fatah and Hamas — have reconciled, […]
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East times 3?
Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas wants to divide the failing East High School into three separate schools, all housed in the current building. Vargas made the recommendation at a school board meeting Tuesday night. The Rochester school district is under orders from the State Education Department to come up with a plan to drastically improve […]
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Two new plans for East: UR partnership, or break it up into three schools
There are a couple of new options on the table to improve East High School. Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas announced today that he wants to create three schools within the East High campus: a middle school foundation academy for seventh and eighth grades; a separate academy dedicated to ninth grade; and an academy for […]
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Tough talk from East High’s suitor
If the Rochester community is serious about giving students a quality education that prepares them for college, then things at East High School must change. That was the message from Gillian Williams, president of School Turnaround, at a special meeting yesterday. The Rochester school board is considering hiring the organization to take over East. School Turnaround […]
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East High’s suitor responds to questions
School Turnaround has responded to a lengthy list of questions from the Rochester school board regarding its proposal to take control of ailing East High School. But Turnaround’s answers leave many issues up in the air, such as concerns about staffing, student enrollment, discipline, and labor contracts. Turnaround, an affiliate of Rensselaerville Institute, is the […]
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East High proposal to be vetted on Thursday
Representatives from School Turnaround, the organization proposing to take over operation of East, may attend.
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Skepticism greets big East promises
Bill Cala, a former interim superintendent for the Rochester City School District, says a claim that East High’s graduation rate can be raised to 100 percent in a matter of a few years is ludicrous. And he’s not the only skeptic. Though a decision on School Turnaround’s proposal to partner with the failing East High […]
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Rochester school district may lease building space to charter
In an unprecedented move, the Rochester school board voted 5 to 0 in favor of leasing some of its excess building space to a local charter school last night. Board members Cynthia Elliott and Melisza Campos did not attend the meeting. Sharing public school buildings has been a source of tension between pro-charter and anti-charter […]
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Serious questions about East’s potential savior
School Turnaround, the organization that may be charged with rehabilitating East High School, has 48 hours to respond to a barrage of questions, says board president Van White. The committee that screened the proposal had numerous questions at a meeting yesterday, White says, and more questions followed the meeting. “These are really thoughtful questions that […]
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School Turnaround promises 100 percent graduation at East
School Turnaround says that 100 percent of East High’s students will graduate and be ready for college if the Rochester school district agrees to partner with the organization to fix the failing high school. But to reach those goals, School Turnaround says it will need to fire East’s current principal and hire and train a […]
