In his proposed budget, Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas lays out a unique vision to tackle the district’s most persistent problems. | The roughly $728 million budget is the same as the current year’s amended budget, but includes expanded instruction time in core subjects at the elementary level. And Vargas would lengthen the school day […]
Rochester teachers
RCSD budget launches the Vargas years
This is a corrected version of this story. In the budget he’s proposed for the coming school year, Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas lays out a longer-term vision that marks a clear shift from the past. While the goals and priorities are the same as many of his predecessorsโ, Vargas is trying a different approach […]
Education commission hears local problems and solutions
Governor Cuomo’s New NY Education Reform Commission ended its statewide listening tour of school district officials, politicians, and community leaders in Rochester yesterday. The commission is charged with gathering information about what is and isn’t working to boost student achievement, and then making recommendations for improvement to Cuomo. The commission panel, which included state Education […]
Did Chicago’s strike teach us anything?
The closely-watched battle between Chicago’s teachers and Mayor Rahm Emanuel helped to illuminate some of the problems confronting urban education. But even though the strike is over, the war between education reformers and urban teachers goes on, says NY Times columnist Joe Nocera. Teacher evaluations linked to standardized tests and charter schools remain contentious issues, […]
Chicago’s teachers can strike, New York’s can’t
The Chicago teachers’ union is on strike and, as a result, parents are trying to figure out what they should be doing with their children. The Chicago Tribune is keeping a running tab of strike news here. This type of disruption is alien to New York parents. Like it or not, the state’s public school […]






