What is City Hall’s role in the education of Rochester’s students? That was the question Warren put to community leaders who packed the City Hall atrium yesterday. Warren has held three forums in response to Distinguished Educator Jaime Aquino’s report on the district’s long-standing problems.
Warren said she’s been approached by numerous businesses and community leaders who say they want to help Rochester’s schools. And City Hall may be able to help with that, she said, developing community partnerships and linking students, teachers, and families to support and resources.
The community-schools approach, which combines the resources of city government, teachers, parents, and the larger community is showing promise at School 17, Warren said. And the city’s support for after-school programs and recreation centers is critically important and should be expanded, some people at yesterday’s forum said. The rec centers give city children a safe, supervised environment for play, creative outlet, and somewhere to just hang out with their friends, they said.
A big concern for many forum participants was the school district’s annual operating budget, which is now almost $1 billion. The city, some participants said, is a better steward of is revenue, which is roughly half the district’s. The city provides the district with $119 million annually but has no say in how the money is spent – something some people at the forum said should be evaluated.
But the city charter prohibits Council and the mayor from doing anything more than approving or disapproving the school district’s budget. For Council or the mayor to have more say would require a change in the charter. And that would require a public referendum.
All of the suggestions from the forums will be compiled into a document that will be shared with the public, Warren said.
“We all have a role to play,” Warren said. “It’s time to stop the blame game.”
This article appears in Dec 12-18, 2018.
How can the mayor do anything with the DA possibly indicting her soon? Why hasn’t City reported on the investigation? It will impact anything Warren tries to do.
“We all have a role to play,” Warren said. “It’s time to stop the blame game.”
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I attended Monday, but I have mixed feeling about this effort.
Yes, the Mayor has stimulated interest in getting inputs from outside the school system. But I fear that endless streams of ideas can lead to more confusion.
I think Rochester Schools need very simple ideas and efforts to turn it around.
We can agree endlessly about what to do, and never think it through and act.
ACTION speaks louder than words!
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Many of us have been making suggestions and offering to help RCSD for years and years. But we have been ignored and ridiculed for trying to help.
Take for example, motivational ideas, which is my focus.
Take ATTENDANCE improvement ideas, to be specific.
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No one at RCSD seems to be interested in solving this problem.
Every teacher and every school official has a different idea on this and the result is that no real improvement in attendance happens, on a District wide level…
Perhaps, the Mayor’s efforts can make a difference. Time will tell.
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http://www.SavingSchools.org
Many children aren’t raised properly at their early years. If a child isn’t given brain focus before three years of age he or she would not be able to catch up. I have reliable information on this. I taught in the city School district and know there is little or no improvement. If anyone wants to contact me they can.
Judi Flanders
infin17@frontier.com
If City Hall could fix this, then why haven’t they done so already, after all this isn’t a new issue? This newspaper is constantly harping on the poor economics as the cause for school’s poor student performance. Shouldn’t the city government work on THAT issue? ” A problem defined is half solved.” Actually at this point I’d say it’s up to the voters who don’t seem to care much either.