The Rochester school board will have another vacancy to fill come the end of this month. Board member Mary Adams submitted her resignation today citing family and professional considerations; Adams recently accepted a promotion at the University of Rochester’s Center for Community Practice. Adams, who is serving a second term, became immediately recognized for her […]
Rochester School Board
Posted inNews & Opinion
Exit interviews: reflections from four city leaders
our longtime elected officials who have dealt with some of Rochester’s most serious challenges left office at the end of the year.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Feedback 12/13
We welcome your comments. Send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com or post them with articles on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com. Those of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published; we edit selections for publication in print, and we don’t publish comments sent to other media. The district and School 41 On the Rochester school […]
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Search starts for Evans’ replacement
The Rochester school board will have two new members in January 2018. Natalie Sheppard won a seat on the board during the November elections. She’ll take over the seat held by Jose Cruz, who didn’t run for another term. The school board has also started its search for candidates to replace longtime member Malik Evans, […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
The complicated path to teacher diversity
Bill Cala is former superintendent of the Fairport school district and served as interim superintendent of the Rochester district. Regarding CITY’s September 30 article on activists’ push for more minority teachers: I strongly support concerned community members seeking the hiring of more teachers of color in the Rochester City School District. When I was interim […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Activists push district to hire more teachers of color
The New York State Department of Education released English and math test scores for grades 3-8 last week, and once again the Rochester school district’s scores were the lowest among the state’s Big Five urban districts. Although Rochester students showed a slight improvement over last year’s scores, only about 7 percent met proficiency standards in […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
For Dems, a wealth of candidates
This year is a particularly significant election year for the City of Rochester, with the mayor’s office, more than half the seats on City Council, and three of the seven school board seats on the ballot. This year is also significant because of the large number of candidates: three for mayor, 13 for City Council, […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
School board weighing another college partnership
[UPDATED] SUNY Geneseo’s education school inched closer last night to a partnership with the Rochester school board and School 19. It’s a sign that the Rochester board is continuing to seek help from outside organizations to help turn around some of its most troubled schools. In a presentation to the board, a team of district […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
School choice lapse complicates space questions
Closing public schools, even failing public schools, is almost always a complicated, emotional business fraught with pitfalls. Rochester school board members heard the outcry from Charlotte High School parents, teachers, and some members of the public when they decided to phase out the school shortly after the building underwent improvements. They heard it again recently […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
White still pursuing military school
A proposal made earlier this year for a military academy within the Rochester City School District continues to draw support and criticism. School board President Van White recently sought advice from Paul Vallas, a nationally-known superintendent who has worked with the Chicago, Philadelphia, and New Orleans school systems. Vallas is both hailed and derided for […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
The case for more black teachers in Rochester and everywhere
Windsor Asamoah-Wade took to teaching immediately. He had a full schedule in the Rochester City School District and jumped at every opportunity to coach. He was visible in the neighborhood, too; his students often called out his name when they saw him walking his dog or riding his bike. But Asamoah-Wade wasn’t certain in those […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Two school communities in limbo
Parents, teachers, and staff at School 1 knew that their school was scheduled to get work done soon — part of a $1.3 billion districtwide overhaul. They did not know, however, that the district was considering combining School 15 with their school. The proposal was made earlier this year, but nobody told them. “It just […]
