First hour: Governor Andrew Cuomo on Lake Ontario flooding
Second hour: Discussing the University of Rochester EPO's progress report for East High School
We’re joined by Governor Andrew Cuomo for a conversation about efforts to remediate flooding on Lake Ontario. Last month, the governor announced $300 million in funding to improve infrastructure along the shoreline. The pledge is part of the Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative, or REDI, commission – a multi-agency effort that will implement legislative changes, aid packages, and executive actions to address the flooding. Cuomo has been critical of the International Joint Commission (IJC) and its efforts to alleviate the flooding. The IJC has defended its plan to address the issue and says this year’s severe flooding was caused by excessive rain and inflows from the upper Great Lakes. We hear from Cuomo, and then, we’re joined by Jane Corwin, U.S. commissioner and chair of the IJC. Our guests:
- Governor Andrew Cuomo
- Jane Corwin, U.S. commissioner and chair of the International Joint Commission
- Tony David, member of the United States section of the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board
- Bernie Gigas, Lake Ontario shoreline resident in Greece
Then in our second hour, when the University of Rochester signed on to serve as the Educational Partnership Organization (EPO) for struggling East High School, UR representatives acknowledged they did not enter the partnership lightly. In 2015, New York State labeled East an "out of time" school. It would have closed, if not for the EPO. This hour, we sit down with representatives from the partnership to discuss the EPO’s three-year progress report. They share the challenges East has faced, the successes they’ve seen, and what they hope for the next phase of the collaboration. In studio:
- Shaun Nelms, superintendent of the East EPO, and associate professor and William & Sheila Konar Director of the Center for Urban Education Success at the University of Rochester’s Warner School of Education
- Marlene Blocker, principal of East Upper School
- Tanya Wilson Thevanesan, principal of East Lower School
- Lorna Washington, assistant superintendent of Strategic Planning for the East EPO
- Kyle Crandall, representative of the Rochester Teachers Association (RTA) for East, and president of the Beechwood Neighborhood Coalition
