There are seven candidates vying to be elected to one of four open seats on the Rochester Board of Education, including three incumbents. All candidates are Democrats.
The city school district has an adopted budget of over $1 billion, which includes federal pandemic relief grants that will expire if not used in the coming months. The Board of Education is responsible for navigating how that money is spent as well as district policies and other administrative decisions.
The primary election take place on June 27. Information on early voting is at the bottom of this article.
MEET THE CANDIDATES
Ricardo Adams
Ricardo Adams was elected to the Rochester City School Board in 2020 and is seeking a second term. A parent to two students in RCSD, Adams says his volunteer time at the schools give him a unique insight into the challenges students face. He says he first ran because he felt like the board was ignoring his comments. He says the schools have the tools and resources to teach kids, but the biggest challenge they face is getting the kids in the door in the first place. His goal is to make the buildings more welcoming.
Maria Cruz
Maria Cruz is a parent advocate who moved to Rochester from Puerto Rico in 1993. Cruz has raised children in the city and said that experience made her an advocate for parents and children, especially in special education and services. She believes the school system needs to offer more individual approaches to education, and that the system is in crisis and needs an urgent intervention.
Vince Felder
Vince Felder was elected to the Monroe County Legislature as a Democrat in 2015 and served for six years. Felder says early literacy should be the primary goal of the city school board, noting that most Rochester elementary school students test below a third-grade level in reading, and most test below their grade level in math. He says the high illiteracy rates for young students are directly fueling low college readiness rates, forcing them to spend money on non-credit remedial courses to catch up to their peers.
Jacqueline Griffin
Jacqueline Griffin is an RCSD graduate with two sons in the city district. 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.
Griffin did not respond to calls or emails.
Beatriz LeBron
Beatriz LeBron currently serves as the vice president of the Rochester City School District Board 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 RCSD 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 number one need right now is support for student mental health.
Amy Maloy
Amy Maloy is seeking a second term on the Rochester City School 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 equitably 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 Rochester City School 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 has 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.
WHERE TO VOTE EARLY
Early voting is from June 17 through June 25. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. and all other days from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Eligible voters can cast their ballots at the following locations.
DAVID F GANTT COMMUNITY CENTER 700 North St, Rochester NY 14605
MONROE COUNTY OFFICE BUILDING 39 W Main St, Rochester NY 14614
EDGERTON RECREATION CENTER 41 Backus St, Rochester NY 14608
NORTON VILLAGE RECREATION CENTER 350 Waring Rd, Rochester NY 14609
EMPIRE STATE UNIVERSITY 680 Westfall Rd, Rochester NY 14620 (ASL Interpreter at site)
ST THEODORES CHURCH 168 Spencerport Rd, Rochester NY 14606
NORTH GREECE ROAD CHURCH OF CHRIST 1039 N Greece Rd, Rochester NY 14626
HENRIETTA PUBLIC LIBRARY 625 Calkins Rd, Rochester NY 14623 (ASL Interpreter at site)
IRONDEQUOIT COMMUNITY CENTER 450 Skyview Centre Parkway Suite 200, Rochester NY 14622
HOLY SPIRIT CHURCH 1355 Hatch Rd, Webster NY 14580
PERINTON SQUARE MALL 6720 Pittsford Palmyra Rd, Fairport NY 14450
SWEDEN CLARKSON COMMUNITY CENTER 4927 Lake Rd, Brockport NY 14420
WEBSTER LIBRARY 980 Ridge Rd, Webster NY 14580
