The man selected to be the next Rochester City School District superintendent says he realizes he faces a challenge, but it’s one that Terry Dade is looking forward to.
The Rochester School Board announced on Tuesday that Dade, currently an assistant superintendent for the Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, will be the next city school district superintendent.
Dade says one reason he wants to come to Rochester is the potential that the district has when it comes to providing high-quality education for all students.
“I look at the demographics and the students and families in Rochester and their current achievement rates; I just felt absolutely compelled to be a part of the solution to help move the district forward,” Dade said in an interview with WXXI News.
Dade says he realizes the challenges here, particularly as it relates to poverty rates among city school students, but he feels his track record in getting people to work together will help him make progress in Rochester. And he isn’t put off by the dissension that has cropped up in managing the school district in the past.
“I say that over and over in my interviews, that we’re going to operate as a family; family members argue, family members disagree, but family members also support one another, particularly as it relates to making sure our kids get what they need,” Dade said.
Dade says from what he’s learned about Rochester, it doesn’t seem to be a community or staff giving up on helping students succeed, and he wants to help re-engage the community in an effort to move the school system forward.
