Rochester School Board members are some of the region's most important elected officials. They oversee a district that educates tens of thousands of children - and their district and its problems have a major impact on the reputation and the economic health of the city itself.
Serving on a school board in an urban district is a difficult, often thankless job. While we should expect Rochester teachers and administrators to do an excellent job - and while there is certainly room for improvement - many of the district's critics are expecting the impossible. The district can not overcome the effects of the concentrated poverty in which many of its children live.
School Board members, then, must have high but realistic expectations. They must make sure the district spends its resources wisely and that it provides the best education possible under extremely difficult circumstances. Board members must communicate with parents and with the broader community. They must find a way to meet the needs of children who are far behind academically. They must also meet the needs of students who excel - and whose parents can afford to move to the suburbs if they're dissatisfied with city schools.
And they must act like grownups. While constructive disagreements are important, division on the current board has often been personal and vitriolic. And while board members have a duty to criticize the superintendent and his staff when criticism is called for, there are right and wrong ways to do it. Some current board members seem to enjoy lecturing and publicly chastising Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard and his staff rather than discussing their concerns with Brizard personally. Brizard is a talented man who can easily find a position with another school district, and that would be a loss to this city. Putting this district through yet another superintendent search will not help Rochester's children.
On September 15, Rochester Democrats will vote for three School Board candidates out of a field of seven. In essence, this is the real election, since no Republicans are competing in the general election this year. (Two candidates are running on the Working Families line, but third-party candidates have not drawn strong voter support in Rochester.) It is important that Democratic voters choose carefully in this important race.
In making our endorsements for School Board this year, we looked for people with intelligence, critical thinking skills, and a solid understanding of the Rochester School District and its high-poverty population. We also looked for people who show an ability and intention to get along with their colleagues, who will respect school district staff, and who can help set an agenda and get things done. The candidates who best meet those criteria are Van Henri White, José Cruz, and Nancy Sung Shelton.
Van Henri White: A private-practice attorney, former assistant district attorney, former Rochester "crime czar" in the Johnson administration, White is completing his first term on the Rochester School Board. He has a program on WDKX radio, on which issues of particular interest to inner-city residents are discussed. And his community work includes talking with young people in jail to try to help them get their lives back on track.
White is tough, passionate, and outspoken, and he has brought knowledge and insight to the board. He has pushed particularly hard on graduation rates, African-American studies, and a stay on the closing of Franklin High School.
He is able to talk to a variety of constituencies, and he is both accessible and engaging, taking the trouble to explain issues at board meetings, for instance. And he has the presence and the calm strength necessary to counter the behavior of some of his more emotional colleagues.
José Cruz: Bright, perceptive, and thoughtful, Cruz is completing his 10th year on the Monroe County Legislature, where he has been a quick study, someone who knows what he's talking about. (He is prevented by term limits from seeking re-election.) A graduate of Franklin High School and Monroe Community College, he is a Neighborhood Services Center administrator for the City of Rochester. And he has an extensive record of community service - particularly with Rochester Latino organizations - dating back to his high-school days. He is one of the founders of the predecessor of PYRD - the Puerto Rican Youth Development and Resource Center - and is board president of the Ibero American Action League.
From his own experience as a parent and from his public service, he has a deep grasp of the challenges of the school district. While he has strong praise of Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard, he has high expectations of the school district, and he is likely to be a supportive but probing School Board member.
Nancy Sung Shelton: A newcomer to politics, Shelton is on the staff of Coordinated Care Services Inc., which offers cultural and linguistic help to area health and human services agencies. At CCSI, in previous social-services work, and from her own life experience, she has gained a unique understanding of, as she puts it, "what it means to be a child in an urban environment."
A teenage mother and high-school drop-out, she pulled her life together, got her GED, and now has a master's degree in management. In Rochester, she has managed a pilot project working on making healthy foods available to low-income families, and she has worked with recovering addicts in a prisoner re-entry program. In Florida, she led a parent-education program and was on the staff of a pilot program helping victims of domestic violence and people with drug, alcohol, and mental health problems. Her understanding of the school district and its students, her intelligence, and her enthusiasm could make her a strong School Board member.
The other candidates
Cynthia Elliott: The holder of two master's degrees, one in public administration and one in human and organizational systems, Elliott has spent much of her adult life in community work, currently serving as assistant to the executive director of Baden Street Settlement. And it would be hard to find anyone who speaks more passionately about Rochester's students - particularly about impoverished children of color - than Elliott, who is completing her first term on the School Board. Clearly, she is devoted to trying to ensure a better future for those children.
But Elliott's temperament is a major problem. She has had tirades and outbursts at board meetings, despite the presence of children. She gets openly angry with colleagues or audience members at the meetings, and she can lecture district staff in an inappropriate, demeaning tone. For example, in a stunning e-mail sent in June to Brizard and copied to other board members and some administrators, Elliott accused Brizard of lying about the number of schools he had visited. "REMEMBER YOU REPORT TO ME I DON'T REPORT TO YOU!!!" Elliott wrote. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!!!!" And, later in the e-mail: "Stop acting like a little girl, stop whining and do your job." Elliott insists that the needs of Rochester's children are at the heart of her passion. But her behavior as a board member is destructive, and it prevents her from working to meet those children's needs.
Howard Eagle: A social studies teacher in the Rochester School District for 22 years, Eagle is running for School Board for the third time. And he knows the school district intimately, not only from his years of teaching but also as the parent of two city students and from years of community activism. He has been a strong, persistent voice, not only on school issues but also on the issue of institutional racism. He serves the community well as an activist, but the role of an activist is different from that of a board member. In some situations, he can be emotional and vitriolic, and that's the last thing this board needs.
Michael Mason: An independent contractor who serves legal papers for local attorneys, Mason is the father of a city school student. While he clearly is interested in helping improve the education of Rochester's children (his principal concerns include universal pre-kindergarten and transportation for pre-k children; vocational education; and better communication with parents), he does not have the depth of knowledge about school-district operations and issues that most of the other candidates have.
Christopher Edes: A computer consultant, Edes is endorsed by the Libertarian Party, the Green Party, and the activist group CAFEE (Community Activists for Educational Excellence). He is highly critical of the school district, but his criticisms tend to be vague or poorly informed. He insists that the district doesn't want parent involvement, for instance, and he says the district doesn't tell the public when its meetings are. (The board always meets on the fourth Thursday of every month, and meeting dates are on the district's website.) Many of the statements on his website are the kind that almost any School Board member could support (the district should "hold school administrators accountable") or are naïve.