The Rochester City School Board on Wednesday evening voted 4 to 2 to approve a plan it has to submit to the ‘Distinguished Educator’ appointed by the NYS Education Department.
Last fall, Jaime Aquino was appointed to look at the district’s problems and he issued a reportthat contained 84 recommendations to help the RCSD improve academic performance.
The deadline set by the state to submit its response to his recommendations was February 8.
On Wednesday, school board members Judith Davis and Natalie Sheppard voting against the 110-page planand Willa Powell, Cynthia Elliott, Liz Hallmark, and President Van White voted in favor.
Board member Beatriz LeBron was out of town and couldn't attend the meeting.
Sheppard expressed concerns about input from the unions while putting together the plan. She believes parts of the plan would need to be collectively bargained. She also said that not enough members of the community were involved in the process. White said the collective bargaining concern was a legitimate argument.
Commissioner Davis read a note that she says she will send to Elia. She said that some of the points in the plan are based on elements that don’t exist in what she called “any usable form.” She also says structural racism was not addressed properly. Davis also had concerns about how the plan addresses issues involving special education and warned that a structural budget deficit will lead to cutting essential services.
White called it “a living breathing document.” He indicated that this was the first time he’s heard some of these complaints from Sheppard and Davis.
The school district's plan now goes to the NYS Education Commissioner, MaryEllen Elia.
CITY Newspaper contributed to this story
