Our students need a few minutes of your time right now!

A battle is going on in Albany over Phase 2 Facilities Modernization Funds.  We need to get the appropriations passed NOW before the session ends next week.

As you may know in 2012 the RCSD closed the School 16 Building on Post Avenue.  They moved the students and teachers to the Freddie Thomas building on the other side of town with the promise of bringing them back ASAP after renovations are done to the Post Avenue building.  The Phase 2 funding is needed to even begin renovation plans let alone to start the renovations.  That approval is already behind schedule.  We had hoped to see planning start last year.   Friday June 13, 2014 David Gantt said he is going to vote no and delay Phase 2 funding approval.  Check out this 13WHAM story.  While a delay for some schools on the Phase 2 list may not be a big hardship, for schools such as 16 delays further destroys their neighborhood identity and makes it difficult for local parents to participates in their child's school.

Please take a few minutes of your time to contact Assemblymen David Gantt, Joseph D. Morelle,  and Harry B. Bronson to explain that passing this Phase 2 money now is important to our students at School 16.  The bill that needs to pass the Assembly for Phase 2 appropriations is A10083-2013. The Assemblymember's contact info is:

Assemblyman David F. Gantt, Roch: 585-454-3670,  Albany: 518-455-5606,  GanttD@assembly.state.ny.us

Assemblyman Joseph D. Morelle, Roch: 585-467-0410, Albany: 518-455-5373, morellej@assembly.state.ny.us

Assemblyman Harry B. Bronson, Roch: 585-244-5255, Albany: 518-455-4527, bronsonh@assembly.state.ny.us

The State Senate equivalent of the bill for Phase 2 funding is S7859-2013.  For that bill please contact:

State Senator Robach, Joseph E., Roch: (585) 225-3650, Albany: (518) 455-2909, robach@nysenate.gov

State Senator Ranzenhofer, Michael H., Williamsville: (716) 631-8695 / (585) 454-0322, Albany: (518) 455-316,  ranz@senate.state.ny.us

Thanks to delays, our local School 16 students have already been exiled across town for two years while nothing has been done!  If the bill gets passed now it will still be two more years for planing and renovations to be finished and for the students to return.  We can't have more delays!

Another important bill that needs to pass is S5227B.  It would allow students to be bused if they live more than 0.5 miles from their school of choice.  Currently only students 1.5 or more miles from a chosen school can be bused.  For safety reasons parents want to bus their kids and many send them to other than their neighborhood school because of the 1.5 mile requirement.  This hurts the interaction parents can have with their child's school, particularly if they don't have a car.  Please also urge the passage of S5227B.  Since this will allow more kids to attend their nearest school, it should actually reduce busing costs.