If someone wants to open a charter school in Rochester, the path is pretty clear. But if you want to open a new school inside the city school system, good luck.
Rochester teachers
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Cynthia Elliott to help lead board she once wanted to abolish
This blog has been edited from an earlier version. One of the best science-fiction films of the 1970’s is the remake of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” starring Donald Sutherland. Sutherland’s character, a city health inspector, starts to notice personality changes in the people around him. When Sutherland drops in on a Chinese couple who […]
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Silver says hold off on sharing student data
This can’t be an easy time for New York State Education Commissioner John King. The commissioner, who came into office not long ago with a bold reform agenda, is increasingly seeing those plans come under fire. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is the latest to question King. He sent a letter to the state Education Department […]
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Evans won’t seek seventh term as Rochester school board president
Malik Evans said today that he will not seek another term as president of the Rochester school board. Evans served six terms at the board’s helm and presided over several tumultuous periods, including the messy departure of former Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard. The board will elect its leaders in January and with Evans’s announcement, the way […]
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Vargas warns board of $33 million to $46 million budget gap
In a preview of his proposed budget for the 2014-2015 school year, Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas told board members last night that the district faces a $33.2 million budget gap. But that figure doesn’t include fully funding some of what Vargas called academic priorities, such as increasing reading support to meet third grade proficiency […]
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PISA scores forecast dimming future for US students
If students, parents, teachers, and business leaders are wondering about the impact education reform is having on academic performance in most US school districts, the latest results of the Program for International Student Assessment scores provide a stark answer. US students are not improving in core subjects – reading, math, and science. And even worse, […]
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Student behavior: Vargas dares to go there
When Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas presented his proposal for college-run schools last week, it was just one piece of a larger package of steps needed, he said, to improve student achievement. The full pac kage includes improving financial management to reduce the hand-wringing over budget gaps; working with BOCES to revive a technical careers program […]
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Commissioner King gets an earful on education
The Affordable Care Act’s disastrous rollout may not be the Democrats’ only problem in the 2014 elections. Dissatisfaction with the Obama administration’s education reforms is growing, and anger is building at the local level. State Education Commissioner John King, during a public forum held in Brighton last week, heard dozens of parents, teachers, and students […]
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Career zone for a high school
Sheldon Cooper, 15, says he’s thinking about following in his mother’s footsteps. He wants to attend Georgia State University to pursue a career in health care, he says, perhaps as a nurse — like his mom. But he also loves cars and boxing. His friend and classmate, Tony Bermudez, 15, says he wants to attend […]
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Hundreds of city teachers appealing APPR
More than 600 Rochester school teachers have formally appealed their Annual Professional Performance Review, says Adam Urbanski, president of the Rochester Teachers Association. The appeals will be looked at by a joint district and union team beginning as early as next week. Teachers could only appeal their evaluation if they received either an “ineffective” or […]
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[UPDATED] Less testing for city students
Updated at 9:15 on September 17, 2013: The district plans to move forward immediately to reduce the number of tests taken by city students, Superintendent Bolgen Vargas said at a press briefing yesterday. The decision requires approval from State Education Commissioner John King, but Vargas said he’s confident that King will approve the change. Both […]
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Rochester school board passes $734 million budget
Last night, the Rochester school board unanimously approved a $734 million budget for the coming school year. The budget is about $6 million more than what Superintendent Bolgen Vargas proposed several months ago, and it will fund longer school days in as many as 10 schools this fall. The budget closes a $50.2 million gap […]
