I suspect we may hear more from Lorenzo Williams.
Williams, a former Rochester
school district teacher who recently moved back to the city, had some tough
words for the community last night. The setting was a meeting hosted by the
Rochester school board to get public input on the temporary — perhaps permanent
— closure of School 16. The meeting was lightly attended, and even fewer people
spoke.
The community has yet to learn that the squeaky wheel gets the grease,
Williams said. Most people don’t take part in the school district, and then
complain after a decision has been made, he said.
Not all the problems in the school district can be traced back to the school
board, Williams said.
“It’s more of the parents’ fault than anybody’s fault,” he said, his voice
rising.
Too many people in the community don’t value education, Williams said, and
children pick up on and learn to share that apathy.
Williams said he’s planning to run for City Council in the future to show
the community that one person can make a difference.
This article appears in Jul 11-18, 2012.
