Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas says he expects the State Legislature to pass a bill that would let the Rochester school board make kindergarten mandatory. The school board would have to follow up with its own legislation. Kindergarten attendance is mandatory for 5 year olds in 11 states, but not New York. New York State […]
Rochester City School District
Posted inNews & Opinion
City school district eyes a downtown landmark
The historic Bevier Building could be the new home for some of the staff at the Rochester school district’s central office. Krestia DeGeorge In 1910, when the Mechanics Institute was looking for more space, there were no statutes protecting historic buildings. That’s how the Rochester Institute of Technology’s predecessor was able to tear down the […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Closing time for city schools
Tucked away between Hickory and Gregory Streets in the city’s South Wedge neighborhood sits a beautifully restored school. Students no longer attend classes here, though. The building’s classrooms have been given new life as upscale condominiums. What was formerly an administrator’s office was recently advertised for a price just south of six figures. Reused buildings […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Domingo Garcia
For Domingo Garcia, his presence in the upcoming Democratic primary for school board is something of a surprise. At 64, he’s become an elder statesman for Rochester’s Hispanic community and boasts an impeccable activist resume — involvement with organizations like the Ibero American Action League (which he helped found), the National Puerto Rican Coalition, and […]
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Cynthia Elliott
Cynthia Elliott’s fed up. And she’s not the only one, she says. A look at the Rochester City School district’s graduation rates frustrates most parents and community leaders, she says. For Elliott, it was enough to get her into the race for a seat on the school board. “I’m disappointed in the graduation rate of […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Donkey clash
It’s the battle that almost wasn’t. After failing to win the Democratic Party’s nomination for a school-board seat last year (he finished fifth in a race for four seats), Domingo Garcia intended to shelve his political ambitions for good. There’s little doubt now that some in his party wish he’d stuck to that plan. This […]
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He’s out
He’s out Add one to the list of victims in the US War on Terrorism:Ansar Mahmood. The 26-year-old Pakistani is being deported after spending close to three years in a Batavia detention facility. Barring any miraculous last-minute appeals, it appears Mahmood will be heading back to Pakistan as soon as his travel papers are in […]
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Leaving Lofton
For some students, Josh Lofton Academy provided what other schools did not: a profound sense of belonging and an opportunity to change the course of their lives. Teachers and other faculty members say the Rochester City School District’s second smallest secondary school was a safety net for students who struggled in a more traditional environment. […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Shut up and do something
Everybody is disgusted, outraged, disillusioned, and disappointed. Yet, funding for city school nurses still hasn’t been restored. Last week there were: two press conferences, an ugly Ways and Means committee meeting, a lawsuit, and a phone-a-thon — all about the nurses. Leaving city kids without school health care would be a travesty, everyone said. […]
