City of Rochester
News Release
(Friday, June 18, 2010) – Mayor J. Duffy today urged members of New York State Assembly to pass legislation that would reform the governance of the Rochester City School District.
“For too long the decisions made regarding education have put adults before children,” Mayor Duffy said as he testified at the NYS Assembly Standing Committee of Education Public Hearing on Governance of the Rochester City School District, which convened Friday in Rochester City Hall.
“The future of the city depends on its children and they deserve a better educational opportunity, which means that the community must demand changes,” Mayor Duffy testified. “We must put children and parents first.”
The Assembly panel was in Rochester to hear testimony on the proposed “City of Rochester School District Governance Reform Act,” which has been introduced by Rochester Democratic Assemblymen David Gantt and Joseph Morelle.
The bill proposes a five-year trial period starting July 1, 2011 in which a nine-member Education Commission would be appointed by the Mayor of Rochester and the Rochester City Council. Five members would be appointed by the Mayor and four would be appointed by Council. Commission members would each serve fixed terms of three years.
The Education Commission would consult with four Community Schools Advisory Councils that would be comprised of the parents of Rochester public-school students to develop education policy.
That system will produce greater accountability and oversight than the current diffuse model, which spreads accountability and oversight over seven elected School Board members, Mayor Duffy testified, adding it would also give parents a stronger voice in education policy.
Education reform is necessary because the current system is failing Rochester’s children, Mayor Duffy said. The graduation rate has dropped to 46 percent and too many students who do graduate are not prepared for college. In some schools, 80 percent of children are not meeting basic standards in English and math.
“Systemic change is needed; the system has been failing for far too long,” Mayor Duffy said. “We have had plenty of studies and recommendations, but we have yet to see any real change in the way the district operates.”
Some of the goals and improvements that we seek include:
• Higher graduation rates;
• Increased safety measures for students and teachers;
• Guaranteed school choice for parents;
• Guaranteed transportation to neighborhood schools;
• Creation of true neighborhood schools with access to facilities and resources on nights, weekends and during the summer;
• More after-school programs with Rochester striving to have the best in the country;
• An effective truancy intervention program;
• Performance and needs tracking for children K-12 and beyond;
• Comprehensive college readiness and vocational training programs;
• Greatly increased opportunities for parental involvement so that they too are part of the governance structure;
• Ending wasteful duplication and reinvesting the savings in the classroom; and
• Increased accountability and accessibility to the entire educational system.
Rochester’s leaders owe their children a new educational approach, Mayor Duffy said.
“The time for fundamental change is now," he said “We cannot afford to lose another generation of children due to our inaction.”
To view the entire transcript of Mayor Duffy’s testimony, visit www.cityofrochester.gov/schoolgovernance.
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News media: For more information, contact Gary Walker at 428-7405.