In the election for four seats on the Rochester City School District’s Board of Education, voters don’t have much of a choice this year.
The results of the Democratic primaries essentially determined who will be on the board, since there are no Republican candidates.
On the ballot, voters will see some names listed twice, on the Democrat and Working Families party lines, such as recent district graduate 19-year-old Isaiah Santiago, and incumbents Beatriz LeBron and Amy Maloy.
But there are two names referenced only once on the ballot: incumbent Ricardo Adams under Working Families, and newcomer Jacqueline Griffin on the Democrat line.
Griffin edged out Adams to win the Democratic line in the June primary. Adams said while his name is on the ballot under another party line, he would not actively campaign and is not planning to serve another term, citing health concerns.
Here are the candidates:
Jacqueline Griffin
Griffin is an district graduate. She shares on her website that she is for improving school safety by working with the police department, parents and educators. Griffin supports investing in programs to develop parenting skills, career advancement, and health education. Among the issues she lists on her website, her goals are to increase transparency and accountability, improve communications with the community through outreach, and address failures to address gaps in academic achievement.
Beatriz LeBron
LeBron currently serves as the vice president of the Board of Education and is seeking reelection. She's the executive director of the Father Tracy Advocacy Center, a community organization on Clinton Avenue, and a parent and grandparent of district students. She says she wants to continue focusing on school finances in her second term and advocates for more transparency and participatory budgeting. She says the No. 1 need right now is support for student mental health.
Amy Maloy
Amy Maloy is seeking a second term on the board. She is a teacher at Brighton High School and has been an educator for 24 years. She says the city schools have provided a good environment for her four children, but opportunities aren't equitable. She says she'll focus on raising up all students and making classrooms safe and culturally sensitive. Her top priority is to keep the school board focused on student outcomes and addressing safety.
Isaiah Santiago
Isaiah Santiago graduated from the district last year and is currently a student at St. John Fisher University. He says the system is stagnant and needs youth leadership to change. Santiago says he may be young, but he's not inexperienced, citing his work founding We Got This, a program to combat youth gun violence, at 16. The program is still active in city rec centers. He also developed a Mental Health Literacy curriculum, which will be an elective health class in the school system, and serves on the statewide board, Families Together NYS, as part of a student advisory committee for the New York State Board of Regents.
