As Mayor Lovely Warren has continued her push for a state takeover of Rochester city schools, state Assemblymember Harry Bronson has dug in, saying he opposes removing the elected school board. And he's mentioned that he's preparing legislation to improve student outcomes and the district's general functioning.
On Thursday morning, Bronson released a draft of the bill, the Rochester City School District Empowerment Act. The legislation, which he plans to introduce this session, targets a few areas of district operations:
- It seeks to better define the roles of school board members and the superintendent.
- It requires school board members to complete 12 hours of training on subjects including ethics, public relations, cultural sensitivity and responsiveness, dispute resolution, and governance.
- It establishes an arbiter to help settle disputes between individual board members or the superintendent and board members.
- It requires the district to work with the state Education Department commissioner to convert low-performing schools in need of improvement to community schools. The legislation would provide for state funding for the efforts.
The legislation would also legally require the board and superintendent to develop a Strategic Academic Improvement Plan within 60 days of the bill's passing.
Former Distinguished Educator Jaime Aquino had recommended that the district develop 13 different plans, covering everything from communications to special education improvements, the news release from Bronson's office stated.
The Strategic Academic Improvement Plan called for in Bronson's bill would cover those areas and would include goals, benchmarks, and measurable objectives, the release said.
The bill would also establish a Children's Advisory Council, which would provide guidance to the superintendent. The seven members of the council would be appointed by the district's school-based planning executive committee. They would include — but not be limited to — representatives of community groups and experts in child development, mental health, trauma-informed learning, English language learners, students with disabilities, and culturally responsive teaching, according to the bill's language.
Bronson has said he's been working with education experts, union officials, and community leaders on the legislation. In the release, he said he's "submitting this legislation in order to build a consensus and chart a path forward for our children."
Warren has introduced her own legislation that would dissolve the elected school board for five years after a citywide referendum in November. The proposal also includes asking state Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia to appoint a new board.
Even if the referendum passes, only state lawmakers have the power to dissolve the board.
In a statement Thursday, Warren blasted Bronson's measure.
"Assemblyman Bronson's bill is no solution at all," Warren said in an emailed statement. "It's more of the same. His goal is to prevent parents from having a true say in how their children are educated. Just yesterday, he wrote an editorial where he admits that neither parents nor students were consulted to create his so-called plan. They are the ones most impacted."
"Assemblyman Bronson represents less than 20% of our city's students, and he's trying to take away the ability of all city parents to decide the future of their children's education."
The mayor also said the community is "ready for a total reset, not a Band-Aid."
"By trying to stop our citizens from voting on putting our children first, Assemblyman Bronson is singlehandedly allowing Albany special interests to control what happens in Rochester," Warren said. "It's time to give parents the voice they deserve in their child's education. And, that is through the power of the vote."
In a statement released Thursday afternoon, County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo backed Warren:
"I agree wholeheartedly with Mayor Warren -- what families in the City School District need is real, meaningful education reform, not more watered-down solutions from the same politicians who have been part of the problem. As I said at my recent State of the County address, the hard truth is that too many of our children aren't being offered hope for a better today and a brighter tomorrow. Allowing voters to decide a path forward for the City School District would provide that hope for the first time in a long time. The mayor’s proposed referendum has my full support."
Board of Education Preisdent Van White said Thursday evening that he finds the disagreement between Bronson and Warren ironic, given the criticism that school board members have received in recent months about their public spats.
"They haven't even begun to do the stuff that the Board of Education has done, and they're already throwing insults at each other at each one's solutions and proposals," he said. "Essentially confirming, I believe, the fair observation that the job that is done in this building is a difficult one."
White said he remains against Warren's plan, but he thinks rising graduation rates will speak for themselves if the referendum she’s seeking to remove the school board goes forward.
White liked some elements of Bronson's plan, but criticized its suggestion to create a new council of experts to advise the superintendent, stating there are many education policy advisers available in our area.
Moule is a reporter with CITY Newspaper.
