First hour: Discussing the Rochester City School Board's vote to approve teacher cuts
Second hour: Can Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker stick the landing of the saga?
After hearing hours of feedback from teachers, students, parents, and other community members Thursday night, members of the Rochester City School Board voted on Superintendent Terry Dade's proposed staff cuts. Those recommendations would have initially impacted more than 150 teachers, but a last-minute change reduced the number of proposed lay-offs to 109 positions. More then 90 people signed up to speak about the impact of those possible mid-year cuts. The testimonies ranged from emotional pleas to matter-of-fact discussions about budgeting and numbers. And after a break, the board approved the plan in a split vote. This hour, we're joined by members of the Rochester City School Board to discuss their individual votes, the testimonies they heard for the school communities, and what's next for the district. In studio:
- Van White, president of the Rochester City School Board
- Rev. Judith Davis, commissioner for the Rochester City School Board
- Natalie Sheppard, commissioner for the Rochester City School Board
Then in our second hour, it's all things Star Wars! Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker opened in theaters Thursday night, and we're joined by fans of the franchise to discuss their expectations for the newest and final film in the saga (don't worry, there won't be spoilers!). We talk about a range of issues, including how to balance critical and artistic choices while keeping fans' interests in mind, the use of archival footage to bring back characters played by deceased actors, and our guests' thoughts on what it would take to stick the landing for the saga. In studio:
- Adam Lubitow, film critic at CITY Newspaper
- Vanessa Cheeks, organizer of the Anomaly Film Festival
- Tiffany Staropoli, broadcast producer and director
- Dan Howell, personal trainer
