When Latesha Green first walked through the door of School 22’s pre-kindergarten classroom, she seemed shy and unsure of herself, says teacher Mellissa Asenato. But now she’s an entirely different person, Asenato says. Green is reading at about a fourth-grade level and her writing skills have improved, too. But Latesha Green is not a pre-K […]
Rochester school district
Posted inNews & Opinion
RCSD budget talks begin
The Rochester school board will hear a presentation from Superintendent Bolgen Vargas’s financial team tomorrow night concerning amendments to the district’s 2012 to 2013 budget. The district approved a $705 million budget last spring. But the district’s revenue increased by about $21 million, mostly from grants. Some expenses increased, too, including a $2 million increase […]
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Vargas banks on longer school days
The Rochester school district is one of the first in the country selected to be part of a three-year pilot program to test whether lengthening the school day for some city students improves achievement. The program, TIME Collaborative, will allow Superintendent Bolgen Vargas to extend the lengthened school day programs already serving about 4,000 city […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Feedback 11/14
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Allure for neighborhood schools
Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas wheeled out some charts, at a meeting this morning, to help explain his proposal for modernizing city schools. His plan for the next phase of the more than $1 billion remake of the district’s buildings recommends closing five schools. In a relatively short period of time, Vargas has become deft […]
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Week ahead: Truancy funding vote, Pittsford development discussion, Brooks’ budget plan, Vargas ‘conversations’
Rochester City Council will decide on Tuesday night whether it’s willing to chip in $15,000 for a new, cooperative truancy effort with the Rochester school district and the United Way. The measure faced a rough ride through Council’s Public Safety Committee last week — the last stop before a vote of the full Council. The […]
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Mayor has to win over Council on truancy effort
There were a few oddly intimate moments during yesterday’s City Council committee meetings. Council has to decide whether it’s willing to chip in $15,000 for a new, cooperative truancy effort with the Rochester school district and the United Way. Mayor Tom Richards supports the program, but had a tough time convincing two of the three […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Vargas proposes $625 million second phase of schools upgrades
Superintendent Bolgen Vargas has recommended closing five schools: 16, 22, 25, 36, and 37.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Vargas should release report on building space tonight
Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas is expected to release a draft of a new facilities master plan at a special board meeting tonight. Vargas called for the plan after numerous costly repairs required closing School 16. But the plan is also part of a larger concern. The district’s enrollment has steadily declined while its physical […]
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Vargas plans community outreach
City schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas will hold a community meeting from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, November 5, at School 3, 85 Adams Street. The “Neighbor Night” will be similar in format to Vargas’s monthly “Coffee and Conversations.” He’ll answer questions from parents, students, and residents in an informal setting. The intent, according […]
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Unprecedented effort to fight truancy
Before the Rochester school district could launch its new crackdown on chronic truancy, school officials had to clean up their attendance records and draft a detailed plan of attack. Earlier efforts were stymied by faulty data, missteps, and a lack of coordination and follow-up. But officials say that this time they are better prepared to […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Truancy crackdown gaining steam
Rochester Mayor Tom Richards is proposing that the city kick-in $15,000 to support the school district’s new initiative to battle chronic truancy. That would be matched by $15,000 from the school district, and $10,000 from United Way. City Council will begin vetting the proposal next week. Poor attendance and high truancy rates are widely believed […]
