The performance last night by the boys chorus at the Leadership Academy for young men was moving and bittersweet. The chorus performed before the school board meeting — the last for Bolgen Vargas as superintendent of Rochester city schools. Clad in their sharp navy blue blazers, the boys sang several gospel-tinged songs as part […]
Bolgen Vargas
Posted inNews & Opinion
Rochester school board seeks a foot soldier
The Rochester school board is laying the groundwork for its superintendent search. Adding to the inherent difficulty of the task is the fact that confidence in the board is low and that the hiring process may be viewed as more of a test of the board’s abilities than the skills of the candidates. Some board […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Feedback 11/4
We welcome your comments. Send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. Comments of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in print. We don’t publish comments sent to other media. Can no […]
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Vargas out: Impossible job claims another superintendent
This is not a Rochester problem. It is a problem facing every urban school district in the country.
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Does a new state education law undermine school boards?
The Rochester school board is grappling with a new state education law involving receivership for failing and persistently failing schools. According to the Regents’ EngageNY website, the intent of receivership is to address the barriers that have prevented some school leaders from turning around failing schools. The barriers include: governance, school leadership, teachers, union contracts, and […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Vargas says he’s ‘100-percent committed’ to the RCSD
There was a small crack in the Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas’s silence last week concerning his notice of claim against the city school board. Vargas wouldn’t say whether he intends to proceed with the litigation, but he did speculate about his future with the district. Vargas talked about his job performance, starting with a […]
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Revised law empowers school supers
A revision to the state education law concerning failing schools could give Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas substantially more authority at a time when he’s at serious odds with the school board over management. Though it’s still unclear, the law appears to give Vargas the ability to make sweeping decisions to improve failing schools, including […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Talks may decide Vargas’s future
It’s unclear whether Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas and the school board will recover from a dispute over the superintendent’s powers, or if Vargas will even fulfill his contract with the school district.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Feedback 3/25
We welcome your comments. Send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. Comments of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in print. We don’t publish comments sent to other media. Planning the […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Transit center: Positive marks, and one big problem
After years of planning and quite a bit of controversy, Rochester’s transit center has opened to mostly positive reviews from regular bus riders who say that they appreciate the building’s warmth and amenities. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs would approve of the center’s high-tech functioning yet simplicity of design. Large touch screens let passengers plan their […]
