The Education Committee of the SW Common Council

Wednesday, 5/24/23

6-7:30 pm at

For Zoom Link, Contact John Boutet @ jboutet@frontiernet.net

PDF of Minutes: SWCC Education Committee Minutes 2023-05-24.pdf

Attendance:

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

Cynthia Butterworth  RCPE & Citizen Action, 615-5888, cindybutterworh.cb@gmail.com

Eleanor Coleman        CCFCS YouthBuild, Rotary SW, 224-5119, eleanor.coleman@gmail.com

Sylvia Cooksey           School 10 Acting Community Site Coordinator, 233-2612,     
                                             sylvia.cooksey@rcsdk12.org

Lee Loomis                 School #10 Volunteer Tutor, 738-3079, leeloomis46@gmail.com

Phyllis Moss                19th Ward Ed Chair, 451-1686, drphyllismoss@icloud.com

Isaiah Santiago          School Board Candidate, 498-5594, isaiah4rcsd@gmail.com

Welcome & Introductions

Quick update of School News

• Isaiah Santiago who is running for RCSD School Board attended our meeting.

• 6/14 and 6/22 are two school closing dates. Lots of exams and assessments happening right now for elementary and high school.

• Teachers going to be trained in computer-based testing.

• Summer school is focusing on enrichment as opposed to just bringing skills up.

• Lots of changes expected at Central Office which would take place after July 1.

• Lots of proms and celebrations happening now.

• For Receivership Schools, they are filling out the required quarterly reports - determine if schools meeting the standards, metrics, etc.

• We must assure the partner relationships go beyond just paper; do they really do something to enhance the schools?

• Asset Mapping - identifying what is positive and what are the opportunities in the surrounding school area.

Local Busing - the latest

• John Boutet gave a history of taking steps to stop the closing of School #16, including work with Ralph Spezio who had much success making School #17 a community school with wraparound services.

• Our current progressive NYS Assembly and Senate reps interoduced 1/2 mile reimbersement last year but it did not get out of committee last year or this year.

• Still do not have bussing reimbursement for less than 1.5 miles. Parents favor the safty of busing for their kids. This has hurt local enrolement and our neighborhoods.

• Introduction of magnet schools has also reduced local attendance.

• What is holding up the existing bill? Do we have data to support the position? Yes, RCSD did do a data study in 2012 to compare ½ mile vs.to 1.5 miles busing showing there would be a significant cost savings IF students chose the schools in their neighborhoods.

  • Here is the study that Mary Adams was able to find for me from 2012. https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1269776617?profile=original

  • Here is the RCSD: “Neighborhood Schools Implementation Plan - February 2015” a study that Bolgen Vargas gave us as he was leaving: https://location19.org/forum/topics/rcsd-neighborhood-schools-implementation-plan-february-2015?groupUrl=sw-education-forum

• The 1/2 mile busing reimbursement bills that are stuck in committee, are: Assembly Bill 1276 and Senate Bill 4414 . Please read them and support them

Here are our great local progressive NYS Assembly and Senate Members we need to reelect in Nov. 2023:

Assembly Member Districts:

Harry Bronson - Assembly District 138 Map

Sarah Clark - Assembly District 136 Map

Jennifer Lunsford - Assembly District 135 Map

Demond Meeks Assembly District 137 Map

Senate Member Districts:

Samra Brouk - Senate District 55 Map - Contacts

Jeremy Cooney - Senate District 56 Map – Contacts

We must also prepare for RCSD Primaries June 27 - Get to Know the Candidates

• For more information you can check: https://www.elections.ny.gov/

• Rochester Coalition for Public Education & MetroJustice are trying to set up a “meet the candidates” night. No information from RCSD on a candidates night.

• Below are the folks running for School Board in the Democratic party and you get to pick 4.

Avoiding the Standardized Test Mentality

• Here is an organization which proposes a better way to evaluate students: https://hs.credit/about.

• With a similar reduced testing goal Congressman Jamaal Bowman has unveiled the More Teaching Less Testing Act to align education with lifelong learning rather than with the standardized testing regime.

• RCPE will discuss some of these issues and the NYS https://www.nysed.gov/plan-pilot at a Zoom meeting Friday, June 9th at 4:00pm. with Regents Wade S. Norwood & Adrian I. Hale.

• John encouraged members to attend that June 9^th, 4:00pm meeting. We would like to see Regents go beyond agreement of principles to taking action. The Zoom link is : https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85381124199?pwd=eXVXbVVvSG1kb2IwQXFNVXFpNjcrdz09 , Meeting ID: 853 8112 4199 , Passcode: 990239

Implementing RASE Education CART recommendations - discussion of Institutional Racism impact on our schools and planned Meeting May 30th at 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Central Church of Christ (101 S. Plymouth Avenue)

• Many issues being discussed (housing, transportation, education, etc) but some recommended items were not included (anti-racist education, need for minority teachers).

• One of the problems is that racism is not understood or recognized by many.

Rochester Coalition for Public Education News (Minutes Index) Follow their index to see all their minutes.

• They are working on hosting a candidates night ahead of the 6/27 elections.

Minutes from our last meeting: SWCC Education Committee Meeting on Zoom 2023-04-26

(Our Index to all our SWCC Ed. Com. Minutes)

If you would like to get the Zoom meeting link for the next meeting, please email John Boutet at jboutet@frontiernet.net or call phone number 328-4271.

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