The Education Committee of the SW Common Council

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

6:00pm – 7:30pm at

Arnett Branch Library, 310 Arnett Boulevard

Here are the meeting notes as a .pdf file: SWCC Education Committee Minutes 2019-09-25.pdf

Attendance:

Joe Baldino            School #29 Principal, 490-2245, joseph.baldino@rcsdk12.org

John Boutet           SWCC Education Committee Chair, 328-4271, jboutet@frontiernet.net

Eleanor Coleman   CFC YouthBuild, 224-5119, eleanor.coleman@gmail.com

Colleen McCarthy  Many Neighbors Building Neighborhoods, Education Chair, lock66neighborhood@outlook.com

Betsy Romson        19th Ward Resident, 328-8313, mesromson@aol.com

Community Schools Summit Update - link to 2nd C. S. Summit presentations

• Information is provided via links in our last meeting minutes. Feedback has been generally positive. Questioning whether the most recent budget crisis will have an impact on establishing Community Schools. State doesn’t have a good track record of providing the necessary funding that goes along with establishing a Community School.

• School #17 sought outside grants to establish theirs in the 1990’s.

• All schools in Receivership have opted to be Community Schools and have been assigned

  School Community Coordinators by RCSD to make the needed community connections.

• Community Schools meeting coming up soon in Buffalo. Principal of School #19 is going.

"Recommendations to Ensure RCSD Student Success" – Update (Formerly Bronson Bill Draft) - RCFPE (Rochester Coalition for Public Education)

• Plan was established to suggest better ways for the RCSD & Board to function.

• The original motivation was to provide an alternative to the City’s proposal for an appointed School Board referendum. Since then the referendum failed in the courts twice.

• Changes to the Draft since our 8/28 meeting:

• • Title – reworked to "Recommendations to Ensure RCSD Student Success" - RCFPE

  • After meeting with Ricardo Adams the term “education monitors” was changed to “education facilitators” to help direct discussion and promote efficiency (reduce shouting and attacks); a curriculum and a finance facilitators sought.

  • John B. noted that at our last SWCC Education Committee meeting it was brought to RCFPE attention that the document is written by educators and is not parent and community friendly. The Coalition is in the process of making it easier to understand.

  • Rochester Coalition for Public Education meeting tomorrow morning with Liz Hallmark.

  • Planning on having a community forum in October to discuss the document with more people.  (Check NO MORE TINKERING!)
    

CET Update – NSC Involvement

• Two CET meetings so far this fall – School #19 and Wilson Foundation.

• School #19 CET has 3 subcommittees; John B. is on the Community Engagement subcom.

RACF (Rochester Area Community Foundation) Grants

• RACF grants will go online 10/1; grants are due 2/14/20, although they would like to see them come in sooner.

  • Grant amounts for community groups is $2,000.

  • Eleanor recommending that SW Education Committee (or SWCC) apply for a grant to create/foster ongoing relationships between SW schools and Neighborhood Service Center (NSC) Office.

  • Daisy Algarin (NSC Administrator) has been going into schools to educate teachers and staff on the services that are provided by NSC that may help parents and children. She would like to work more closely with the shelters when families are evicted so that school busing can be rerouted to pick kids up and reduce days children miss school.

School Updates

• School #29

  • One kindergarten class; were hoping to have a second; true-up may happen; take lower class sizes and combine them due to budget crisis.

  • Positive feedback regarding the fence installed in the garden

  • Pre-school 8:15 – 9am; hoping to institute the “Walking School Bus” (parents/neighbors walking children to school); hoping this might encourage parents to keep children in the neighborhood.

CFC YouthBuild / Rotary SW – Update

• YouthBuild - has another Cohort starting 11/4; it will be full days, 6 weeks long. For more information, contact the Recruiter, Reg Walton, at (585) 766-7344.

• Rotary SW

  • Considering taking on leadership for National Night Out; would have it begin/end at Westside Farmer’s Market instead of GVP. Others interested: St. Monica’s, WFM, Light the Way (Lentory Johnson gun violence initiative) – it will be the 4-yr anniversary of her son’s murder in front of Boys & Girls Club.

  • Exploring RACF grant possibilities. How can we impact the community in a significant way that results in clear outcomes.

Walk-in Items

• Bringing Lead Education presentations to SWCC and Education Committee

• Did not hear much about pool availability in the schools but they were open over summer.

Scribe Services: Eleanor Coleman, CFC YouthBuild & Rotary, 224 -5119, eleanor.coleman@gmail.com

SWCC Education Committee Chair, John Boutet, 328-4271, jboutet@frontiernet.net

19thWCA Schools Committee Chair, John Laing, 235-5236, jlang1@rochester.rr.com