Jean-Claude Brizard: the first three years

By Tim Louis Macaluso on August 18, 2010

It was billed as a new beginning. The January 2009 meeting between members of the Rochester school board, City Council, and Mayor Bob Duffy was supposed to mark a new era of collegiality between the city and the school district.

But the promise of cooperation quickly disappeared. Handmade signs protesting mayoral control, some directly attacking Duffy, lined the school board's third-floor conference room the night of the meeting. Duffy joked about the interesting artwork, but he was clearly not amused. Within minutes, the meeting degenerated into a verbal firestorm with some board members pressing the mayor to be forthright about his position on mayoral control.

As the charges and countercharges flew, city schools Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard, still new to the job, stood by expressionless and silent.

Some say the meeting was a turning point for Duffy - solidifying his views on mayoral control. But it had to also be an eye opener for Brizard, who was barely through his first year with the district.

Plainly, the people responsible for improving graduation rates and the lives of Rochester's children had one thing in common: each side blamed the other for the problems afflicting both the district and the city. They would cooperate on little.

Now, three years later, Brizard nears the end of his initial contract with the city school district. He's pushed for major reforms, but it is too soon to tell whether he has been successful; parents and students are still getting to know him. While he's embraced by the business community, many city school teachers are turned off by his reform rhetoric. Most school board members support Brizard, and the board seems poised to renew his contract. But even his allies on the board are reserved in their praise.

Board President Malik Evans says he expects to have Brizard's contract finalized before the end of this month, but things haven't gone well. A draft of the contract was leaked to the media.

"I was angry," Brizard says. "I think it was done to discredit me."

How can you negotiate in good faith, he asks, when something like this happens?

"My attorney, who has been doing this for 30 years, said he's never seen anything like it before," Brizard says. "He was livid."

The contract leak is no surprise. Though Brizard stops short of accusing anyone, he says it's not the first time that sensitive information has found its way into the media's hands.

Brizard has had a rocky go of it from the beginning. Board member Cynthia Elliott was quite public about her desire to see interim Superintendent Bill Cala stay on permanently. Cala, the well-known and respected former superintendent of Fairport schools, was brought in to hold the city organization together in the aftermath of Superintendent Manny Rivera's abrupt departure.

"I told Cynthia she had to throw her full support behind Jean-Claude," Cala says. "She didn't want to, but I said to her, ‘You want this guy to succeed, don't you?'"

Success for any superintendent, Cala says, requires the full support of every board member, "otherwise, it won't work."

Brizard prevailed in getting the job because he stood out. He holds two master's degrees. He was a regional superintendent in the New York City school system under Chancellor Joel Klein, where he supervised more than 100 K-12 schools.

He's also a graduate of the prestigious Superintendent's Academy of the Broad Center. With his Haitian accent and quick wit, he seemed to embody a superintendent for a new stage in Rochester, one that's more fitting of a global 21st century institution. When he said, in a series of public meetings, that he would raise the city's graduation rate from an abysmal 39 percent to 75 percent by 2012, he closed the deal.

Nearly three years later, Brizard insists his goal is still attainable, though it may take him a year or two longer to reach it. But it illustrates the difficult task of evaluating school superintendents. The benchmarks of success for superintendents are often elusive, and they have a tendency to morph over time. Since board members are elected officials, the body and its priorities can change with each election.

"You know the old saying in this business - the board that hires you isn't the one that fires you," Brizard says.

The changing mandates and committee of bosses help to explain, some experts say, why the turnover of superintendents is so high, particularly in large urban districts like Rochester's. The need for quick and immediate improvement in student achievement has reached such a dramatic level, it borders on the impossible. Superintendents are cycled in and out in roughly three- to five-year intervals, Cala says, with little change in student performance.

But Brizard says he's already made a vital contribution. He says he's challenged the Rochester school district's decades-old and deeply-engrained culture that assumes the fate of most city school students is pre-determined. It's been a culture tied to the belief, he says, that students are so influenced by the conditions of Rochester's pockets of extreme poverty - the city has one of the worst child poverty rates in the country - that they are limited in their capacity to learn.

The poverty-equals-failure theory is one that Brizard rejects and is determined to shatter.

"We have an internal survey conducted by CGR (Center for Governmental Research) that confirmed more than half of our teachers believed this stuff," Brizard says. "I know many people in the city measure success by graduation rates, but before we can get there, we have to change what people believe is possible. I'm not saying that we're there yet. But the culture here is changing."

No one can accuse Brizard of being timid about taking on big initiatives. The culture shift he speaks of is a trail of sharp turns away from the district's old way of doing things. Probably nothing illustrates that as well as Brizard's controversial in-house suspension program.

There were more than 11,000 out-of-school suspensions during the 2006-2007 school year, according to district data. Considering the district's student population is about 32,500, it meant that thousands of students were out of school on any given day. The suspensions were usually the result of behavior problems. But with so much classroom instruction missed, Brizard says, why would anyone expect the students to graduate on time?

"Our kids were throwaways," he says. "It's much easier to put kids out on the street than it is to deal with them."

The in-house suspension program requires students to stay in school and to receive daily instruction in a room away from their friends and classmates. While suspensions are way down in most schools, Brizard says, the program's implementation was shaky. The program is not perfect, he says, but it was a necessary shock to the system.

Teachers, students, and parents complained bitterly at a public meeting about the program. The room filled to capacity, leaving many parents standing outside the school district's Central Office.

The new suspension program also concerned board members.

"He got lots of criticism for that," board member Van White says. "The guy moves very quickly, sometimes too quickly. And he doesn't always bring his people along with him. He's like that gifted quarterback that sometimes forgets that it takes a team."

Brizard could improve his relationships with those he manages, White says.

"I'm not sure he's really in touch with teachers, principals, and the non-teaching employees or their feelings about their jobs," he says.

White may have a point. The district's relationship with labor appears to be at a low point.

"The fact is his labor relations skills are awful," says board member Willa Powell. "It's not enough to have a vision. All of our superintendents have had incredible vision. But implementation counts. And I would say he hasn't been any more or less successful than the others."

The biggest concern for BENTE members, says Dan DiClemente, president of the union that represents the district's non-teaching staff, is a sense of not being valued.

"Our members are with the kids every day," he says. "But this superintendent waves off our concerns as being a lot of noise from a staff that's resisting change. It's very hurtful to people who don't make a lot of money but are dedicated to their jobs."

"Bumpy" is the way John Pavone, 1st vice president of the Rochester Teachers Association, describes Brizard's first years in office.

"All we hear about the low graduation rate and low test scores is that it is the teachers's fault and only the teachers's fault," Pavone says. "When you constantly hear that you're to blame for all of the district's problems, no wonder teachers don't feel like partners."

One veteran teacher, who asked to remain anonymous, says he had high hopes for Brizard, but his feelings have changed.

"Teachers don't feel supported," he says. "There are a lot of promises made at the Central Office level, but not a lot of follow-through."

If he had to rate Brizard's performance on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best, he says he would give the superintendent a 2.5.

Another veteran teacher says that "Brizard doesn't lead; he pushes." You can't expect people to do their best work when they're afraid of losing their jobs, he says.

"No one has been more aggressive and in your face than Mr. Brizard," he says. "He doesn't consult with teachers; he directs."

At the same time, the teacher concedes, some of Brizard's programs, including the in-house suspension program, appear to be working.

"I've seen a change in student behavior," he says.

Brizard's opinion of unions has always been a question because of his connection to the Broad Foundation. Eli Broad, the organization's founder, had no use for unions or school boards. But Brizard insists he isn't anti-union. He does, however, believe the district was long overdue for a conversation about teacher effectiveness.

"Ineffective teachers have learned they can outlast superintendents," he says. "They wait you out because they know that the process of ousting ineffective teachers takes so long."

The drama involved in getting rid of ineffective teachers discourages principals from doing it, Brizard says.

"Then the teacher gets tenure," he says. "And once that happens it takes three years, sometimes longer to get rid of them."

Pavone doesn't agree. He says Brizard wants to neutralize the unions.

"Let his record speak for itself," Pavone says. "He's gone to Albany and talked about the elimination of tenure. He wants to be able to hire and fire without due process. Tenure is not a guarantee of a job for life like some of these guys like to suggest; it's a guarantee of due process."

Despite the criticisms, Brizard says he wishes he had pushed even harder to reduce the district's bloated work force and to close some of the district's most poorly performing schools.

Settling on the coming school year's budget required controversial staffing cuts, including teachers, for the second year in a row. Critics charge that Brizard has not done enough to reduce the bloat in the Superintendent's Employee Group, the district's highest paid management and support staff in Central Office.

And the cuts to the teaching staff drew particularly pointed criticism because they included arts and music teachers.

"Why is it that our students in the city schools have to make these kinds of sacrifices?" says a parent and district employee with two children in city schools. "It's so disheartening. I like the superintendent. I think he's trying. But city students need the arts just as much as suburban students, maybe more."

And opening new schools and closing poorly-performing ones was a concern for some board members who remembered the problems implementing the in-house suspension program. They didn't immediately give Brizard permission to close the schools and pressed him to move cautiously.

"When he wanted to close Franklin's schools, he again started with his vision," White says. "But frankly, in my mind, what he planned to do was a bit sketchy at first."

Brizard recognizes that his time at the district has been tough on faculty and staff, but he's unapologetic. He says a tipping point is within sight and the changes he wants will be worth the bumps getting there.

"I believe in creative tension, not in anxiety," he says. "We have a crisis in education today; not just in Rochester, but in schools across the country."

Talking fervently about education reform has endeared Brizard to Rochester's business community and to City Hall.

Brizard is the best person for the job and Rochester is lucky to have him, says City Council member Elaine Spaull.

Mayor Duffy described a meeting between Brizard and City Council shortly after Brizard was hired.

"He came in and talked about his plans and what he wanted to," Duffy says. "When he finished, everyone spontaneously rose to their feet and gave him a huge round of applause."

Brizard is doing exactly what needs to be done, Duffy says.

"This is a system that hasn't been kind to our children for decades," Duffy says. "Don't get me wrong, Manny Rivera was very bright, and I actually encouraged Bill Cala to apply for the permanent job. Both are good people. But Jean-Claude is the first superintendent who is trying to transform the district. That will put him at odds with people in the system. But I think he's weathered the criticisms well."

The pairing of Brizard and Duffy, the city's two most powerful public servants, made the possibility of mayoral control of the city school district intriguing. Both men have strong, determined personalities and their admiration for each other is evident.

In those cities where mayoral control appears to have some success, it is often attributed to the combination of a progressive mayor and a reform-minded superintendent. The combination of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein in New York City is the one most often cited.

The mayoral control debate has shown Brizard's political skills. He has deftly moved around the issue without committing to one side or the other.

Though the Broad Foundation connection leaves some to assume that Brizard favors mayoral control, Brizard's quick to point out that the large urban school district with the highest graduation rate, Atlanta, Georgia, is governed by a school board.

"But that is a board that really works together," Brizard says. Rochester has some incredibly strong and effective board members, Powell says, but there are also members who are openly hostile.

"But that's the way it is," she says.

It's almost certain that the school board will renew Brizard's contract. Even board member Allen Williams, though he has several issues with Brizard's work to date, says he wants Brizard to stay.

"He would be a fool to leave without finishing some of the reforms he started," Powell says.

Brizard, who drops that he is frequently called by headhunters, says he's not worried about his contract; he wants to stay on the job.

"I don't really think they're going to find anyone better," he says.

Comments for "Jean-Claude Brizard: the first three years" (19)

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Art Vandelay said on Aug. 18, 2010 at 2:20pm

"I don't really think they're going to find anyone better," he says."

Wow, this is just what we need, a pompous ass running our school districts. Maybe Mr. Brizard just has a dim view of the recruiting capabilities of the RCSD Board, I don't really know.

He certainly sounds like he's in it for the children, doesn't he? I think he, along with his swollen, over-stroked ego, needs to be brought back (way back) down to Earth. He is not God's gift to the RCSD, not by a long shot.

That ending quote just sticks in my craw for some reason - as I am sure it does for many of the readers and residents of the City of Rochester. I think the RCSD is really in trouble here, and I don't seen any reasonably decent solution to right the ship, not with Mr. Brizard at the helm. Snake oil anyone?

nancy said on Aug. 18, 2010 at 8:35pm

I have to commend the current superintendent for creating some very promising middle/highschools in the upcoming '10-'11 school year. I think he wants to see city school kids excel in academics. I also believe that the poverty excuse most educators have adopted has hurt and hindered our students. We are in a society that makes excuses for everything---- from the politicians who try to band aid a lie and say that they must have "misspoken" to underage teens who want to play grown-up before building a foundation to stand on.
With that being said, Bizzards pompous, self rightous and bullying attitude is tragically turning into a deplorable delusion that will leave our children further behind. He is painfully out of touch with education. These graduates of the "prestigious Superintendent's Academy" are churning out sub-par educators who use "poor performing teachers" excuse on the first day on the job.! How can you respect a leader who is either too lazy or inadequite to FIND the real problem in order to attempt to FIX it? Here are some issues I have with this entire all- of - the-sudden-we -politicians-care-about- students-because- we-don't - have-the-money-to fund-education BS, FUBARED mess.
1. Why did the rcsd get rid of reading teachers 5 ys ago, when the avg city student reads at LEAST 2-3 grade levels behind their own grade? How can a student pass an exam when they cant read it???!!! its like taking a test in German (when its not your native tongue) and expect to get a "3" on it...
2. Alternative or character schools are becoming popular - as it should. Teachers work from 8-5:30. and works 2 saturday's a month- the charter schools also pick the kids they want. Its like elementary all over again the fat kid gets picked last in dodge ball. (BTW) giving teachers more responsibility and hours pushes them into a faux parental role. TEACHERS CANNOT BE PARENTS. Only parents can parent.--- another 2010 catch word- "accountibility"
2. NYS teachers have the most rigorious teacher certification process in the country. As a NYS teacher you must hold a masters degree- pass more than a couple state exams+ teachers must be deemed as highly qualified in order to keep jobs- So are they highly qualified or slackers- Mr. Bizzard? How insulting to an educator. If I were a teacher I would be "highly heated"
3. The inschool suspension system. A farce of MASS porportions. My husband works in a high school whose name shall remain nameless. Wait he has nothing to fear- the faithfull Teachers union has his back -- more about that later. says that the ISS rooms are ran like zoos--- no teaching goes on, most kids are special ed and loose so much valueble education Bizzard speaks so much about. Kids are cursing, running around -- with no authority figure in sight. A waste. Bizzard has the gall to take credit for the low suspension rate because --- HE ABOLISHED SUSPENSION. Please someone tell this man that not all of residence of Rochester are dumb as rocks. Even lay people know this.
Finally-I have to admit that i was so pleased to see Bizzard on the cover of this well written, relevant paper. True journalist haven't been extinct after all..... or maybe not. For the life of me why won't the good folks at City ask this man or call him out on this "the union won't let us fire teachers crap" The union wants to get rid of terrible teachers! (i have friends as insiders) because yes thier are bad teachers. BUT THEY CAN BE FIRED. The UNION has put together a program called PART to address this problem. PART doesn't get used because administrators are too lazy to complete the paper work for it. Principals have the power to use thier building however they like. If your a principal and want 30 gym teachers and 2 math teachers.....you can have it your way. Who cares?? their is no one from central office that will stop you. Why isn't this looked at?? Why cant a reporter visit a school? because the reporter would find a massive FUBAR situation going on. Thats why.

A Real Teacher said on Aug. 18, 2010 at 9:27pm

Having read the article, I can only reflect on the ideas presented by M. Brizard's critics. Unfortunately, we in Rochester learn slowly - years ago we had to buy out the contract of Laval Wilson, and more recently, suffered through the misadministration of Clifford Janey. M. Brizard may mean well, but he seems to be another administrator here to establish a reputation and then move on - albeit after a second round of high salary and no real gains in the District graduation rate or the education of the children of the City. He talks a good game, but as stated in the article, he is so far removed from the daily tasks of the actual education of the children by the actual dedicated teachers (and they do exist) of the RCSD that he has no real understanding of the actual problems in the schools themselves. Theory is great on paper, but the implementation of actual meaningful programs is a whole different thing. And by the way, moving staff from 131 West Broad to 690 St Paul (which has been leased for a ridiculous amount of money) is not actually cutting administrative staff - it is more, as the old phrase goes, like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Perhaps if M. Brizard actually had true teaching experience and also was not the product of a psuedo-degree program with its own agenda, he would have a better vision of what could and needs to be done in the District and the City. One could only hope.

Art Vandelay said on Aug. 18, 2010 at 10:19pm

Just wondering where Mr. Petronio is for damage control?

Jim Emmi said on Aug. 19, 2010 at 11:20am

What is wrong with a person believing they are the best person for the job they were hired to do???

Tom Petronio said on Aug. 19, 2010 at 11:27am

Tim Macaluso is a talented reporter whose work I respect. However, there was more to that closing comment and the failure to include the rest of it leads to a misleading lack of context.

I was present during Tim's interview. The point the Superintendent was making is that the work being done in the Rochester City School District is based on some of the most effective practices in the country, e.g., devolving budget authority to schools to better meet students needs, opening new schools with proven partnerships to offer parents greater choice, developing the leadership capacity of principals to improve student achievement, etc. Any leader in urban education would bring similar practices to Rochester.

We have laid the groundwork for positive change in this district and Mr. Brizard is looking forward to being the superintendent who sees it through. If there is someone who can do a better job for our students as superintendent, we should hire that person.

- Tom Petronio, Chief Communications Officer, RCSD

Linda Lopata said on Aug. 19, 2010 at 11:30am

"I know many people in the city measure success by graduation rates, but before we can get there, we have to change what people believe is possible." Jean Claude Brizard.

As a former RCSD teacher I believe that most teachers begin their careers as urban educators believing that it is possible for every child to achieve regardless of their home situation. Then reality sets in.

Most students do learn and grow each year under the guidance of mostly dedicated teachers, despite many challenges that a significant number of students face, which may include one or more of the following: homelessness, lead poisoning, physical and sexual abuse, exposure to drug and gang violence, AIDS, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, poor diet, parental abandonment, lack of verbal and social stimulation and perhaps most significantly a belief and acceptance that this is the way life is. What Mr. Brizard appears to fail to grasp is that many of these children are third generation recipients of a culture that began when well-paying manufacturing jobs and many community services dried up in the 1980's. Add in the availability of cheap drugs and you have the roots of violence and hopelessness. These are not the children of first generation immigrants who see education as a vehicle for advancement and who actively support their children's academic endeavors and not coincidentally their teachers. Indeed a dirty little secret that no one wants to say aloud is that some parents, for a variety of reasons, are threatened by the idea of their kids doing better than them and have no qualms about their children dropping out of school. When kids are raised in households in which not one family member has graduated from high school let alone entertained the thought of higher education inevitably for them to achieve in school they must give up some pretty important relationships with friends and family. They need to reject way of life that is familiar and comfortable no matter how dysfunctional others may see it. Mr. Brizard need only read the book "The Pact" which was assigned to all RCSD Freshman last year for an example of how hard this is to do.

Hard but not impossible. Let's start with realistic expectations of students and teachers. When a 5 year old enters kindergarten with a vocabulary of an 18 month- old give them more time to learn. Extend school days and years and keep subjects of interest to young people like art and music. School of the Arts has the highest graduation rate in the city because kids want to go there! Keep trying to get rid of ineffective teachers AND principals but at the same time support the people who actually work with students. (Anyone who is friends with or are related to a city school district teacher knows how much of their heart and soul they put into their job.) Have realistic expectations. Why does everyone have to graduate on the same time frame? Provide more internships, jobs, vocational training, early intervention for families and preschool experiences. Middle class people stop moving to the suburbs or open your schools to urban kids. It takes more than just teachers to model middle class values and expectations. Most importantly, let's stop assigning blame to one group, or reaching for simple solutions and work together to help this next generation.

Art Vandelay said on Aug. 19, 2010 at 3:07pm

"What is wrong with a person believing they are the best person for the job they were hired to do???"

Absolutely nothing. Heck, I feel, actually, I'd like to believe that I'm the best person for the job that I was hired to do. But I certainly don't go spouting and touting that idea and feeling to my co-workers, my peers or my boss.

As it has been said, "the proof is in the pudding". I can try to prove it through my performance at work, my progression through the ranks and how my peers & bosses view and respect me. I perform well, achieve my goals and earn the respect from the people around me. It didn't happen overnight, and can only happen over many, many years. Mr. Brizard, I believe, still needs to prove to us that the RCSD isn't going to find anyone better. I sure hope Mr. Brizard proves himself right.

There is a difference between believing that idea and vocalizing it to thousands of listeners. The difference, IMO, is light years apart.

Thanks for clarifying Mr. Petronio. I believe ending the article with that last quote just leaves a very bitter taste in the reader's mouths, and it doesn't really conclude this well written article on a very high note.

Dave Reilly said on Aug. 19, 2010 at 5:31pm

Engage sarcasm button: Well, thank you so much Sir Jean Claude for riding into town on your valiant steed to save the children of Rochester from their own teachers who don't think they can learn! Are you kidding me? And I don't know anyone who participated in that Center for Governmental Research survey , so either they took a VERY small sample or "someone" is making that 50% figure up. Bravo to Linda Lopata who explained the way things really are in a City classroom. But Brizzard would not really be aware of that since he is in his ivory tower on West Broad St. examining data and statistics and test scores. There are real kids in those classrooms and they have all the problems that Ms. Lopata mentioned and more. How ironic that the article on Supt. Brizzard appeared in the same issue with Jeff Lynn's essay on test scores. I would recommend that the Supt. read that and take it to heart. By the way, I know where we can find someone better, and it's the man who convinced Cynthia Elliott to support Brizzard. Or, how about Jeff Linn? He's a City resident and at least understands where the real problems and solutions are.

saralee said on Aug. 19, 2010 at 10:02pm

...." the in-house suspension program, appear to be working." this is where I will begin. By whose standards are they working? Is this success measured by the continued funding the district recieves from the state or actual student test scores? Hum, I wonder. I wonder where the effective behavioral support staff are in these classrooms, I have yet to see them. I have seen angered teachers placed in these rooms without being asked the choice. I have seen social workers mandated to participate, but with no direction or time to actively make a sustainable changes in students' lives. Please, enlighten me as to how success is being measured. What I see is a bottleneck system.....similar to the trend I see the county moving with programs such as FACT. Please, show me the data tht indicates success.

EvidenceGuy said on Aug. 20, 2010 at 12:45pm

Why do we have to debate things like this on the basis of he said/she said quotes from various biased parties? If Brizard's main claim to fame is In-School-Suspension, then why can't we find out if it is working in some objective way? (As mentioned above, counting (out-of-school) suspensions doesn't work anymore.) Could City please send someone to find out if some measure of disciplinary problems has gone down as a result of ISS? If ISS works, then great, let people know. If it doesn't, then great, let people know and stop it. Either way, Brizard would be a good leader but now we don't know one way or another. It's crazy as Bill Cala pointed out to keep having these 3-5 year merry-go-rounds of naked emperor superintendents saying they're doing something, but apparently nobody can tell if they are or not and then they leave and the graduation rates are still terrible. Maybe this superintendent is different. I'd like to believe so. Please give me something to base that on.

nancy said on Aug. 20, 2010 at 2:57pm

Tim P. please don't insult readers by trying to cover up truth. If the people in central office did more focusing on education and finding the CORRECT programs that are better suited for OUR kids than on cover up for a sub par "leader" (Bizard) we wouldn't have to have this discussion. Bizard let his arrogance shine through--- something that has been very well aparent to all since day one. His quotes in this article lets everyone know who we are dealing with. You can NEVER take back words sir. Is he worth a new car and a hefty raise-- HELL NO. --- but the robotic school board will get him what he wants rather than admit to appointing a mediocre superintendent (except the wildly misunderstood C. Elliot).
This man got rid of an outstanding educator because he was intimidated by her- not because of age. What did the school board do about that?? Did they do their own investigation?? Do we think its a good idea to let an undeserving bully lead our children in these economic times? Can we afford this??? PLEASE stop with the insulting lies Tim/Tom or whatever ITS NOT WORKING!

drew said on Aug. 21, 2010 at 4:33pm

Any plan or person who's this unpopular with teacher's unions is likely 1) good for the students and 2) is doing something right.
And even if the in school suspention rooms are complete zoos, at least those kids aren't tearing the radio out of my car. Bravo, Mr Brizard & bon chance!

Salazar said on Aug. 21, 2010 at 9:05pm

Anyone who believes that Brizard's unpopularity with the teacher's union is evidence of his effectiveness is misguided. No, his unpopularity stems from the fact that he is arrogant , dismissive towards his employees, and has done nothing to inspire confidence. His tenure has been a disaster and people who believe otherwise are misinformed or in his cabinet.

I wish the media would send some people into the schools to see how ineffective his in school suspension policy is. Brizard has made it harder for the students who want to learn, because they have to be surrounded by the ones who only come to school to cause problems. Most of the students sent to the in school suspension rooms are sent right back to class the next day. And the behavior problems just continue. No learning is occurring in the ISS rooms and the students view it as a joke. But the nonsense continues so he can say he has cut down the number of suspensions.

Brizard is no visionary, like he believes he is. He has one play-blame teachers. The vast majority of the teachers work very, very hard. They are working in challenging environments, with students who are dealing with a myriad of problems . Brizard's contempt for his teachers, the folks on the front line, is disgusting and why he has such little support from them.

The fact that he thinks Rochester probably can't find anyone better is laughable. The reality is that we probably could not find anyone worse. The district needs major improvement, but alienating the work force is not the way to do it. Improvement will come only when the people of this area realize that the de facto segregation that exists is too great to be overcome and some sort of county or regional school district is created. If that ever happens we will see the dramatic improvements so many claim to want. Beyond that, a step in the right direction would be for Brizard to take his caustic, divisive act elsewhere.

saralee said on Aug. 21, 2010 at 9:17pm

Dear Drew,

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but THOSE are the kids that are tearing the radio out of your car. They are also the kids that walk out of school, plan beatings, are invovled in gang activities either as want-to be's, or full membership, start brawls at public events and make other inappropriate choices as their days and lives without proper educational and behavioral alternatives continues 180 days out of the year. I agree, with Brizard's attempt, however the execution of meaningful educationa nd reform is NOT taking place in school suspension rooms. In fact, NO EDUCATION is taking place in those rooms. Visit them for yourself Drew. Don't be fooled by the statistics or media hearsay. Data in the years ahead will tell us. In the meantime, schedule a visit or better yet, volunteer.

Observant said on Aug. 22, 2010 at 7:27pm

Mr. Brizard specifically mentioned the "frequent" calls he gets from other districts wishing to hire him and his selfless act of turning them down. He neglected to mention that only a short time after taking this position, Arne Duncan (current Secretary of Education) left a vacancy as head of Chicago Public Schools. Who do you think "selflessly" and immediately submitted a resume for that position? Sadly, they didn't care to hire him.

Keilah said on Aug. 22, 2010 at 8:35pm

As a 2009 graduate of East High School, I can not say enough that RCSD needs serious reform. Brizard has not proofed to me that he is the man for the job. While I do believe that he wants to see students do better, I am not convinced he has students best interest at heart. I have not seen any improvements in RCSD at all.

nutherInsidr said on Aug. 24, 2010 at 12:40pm

Mr. Brizard did 2 key things when he arrived: 1) Lower requirements for graduation to state bare minimum levels. 2) Reduce suspensions by directing principals not to suspend.

He was immediately lauded by the mayor and press for raising graduation rates and reducing suspensions. This is tantamount to suggesting police would be better if we didn't require so much training. And crime stats would improve if police stopped arresting.

No one can learn in an out of control school. The unavoidable effect will of course be even lower graduation rates because we can't lower the standard any further. In school suspension is just a way to pad stats. Kids in that room have nothing to lose if they leave the room, terrorizing the school or students, or are exhibit egregious misconduct while there. It doesn't help them and it HURTS the 90% of the students who never go there.

The only thing way to get graduation rates up is to STOP focusing so much time, energy and resources on the roughly 10% of students who positively will not follow rules - even state or federal laws! Focus all effort on the 90% who come to learn. support the ones who come to learn and REMOVE THE OTHERS. This ...." but what about those poor struggling students that" ...... nonsense has only led up to where we are now - a new definition for the word: struggling: (euphemism for not struggling at all)

Carmen 4 said on Apr. 27, 2011 at 2:05pm

Thank God Brizzard is leaving. A review of the top comments predicted Brizzard's abrupt departure. Let's hire Marylynn Patterson-Grant as the superintendent who will stay in Rochester for the years to come. Only true committment to our region and its educational resources will put Rochester and its students in the winning lane we are capable of being in. THE BEST REVENGE IS SUCCESS..allow Ms. Grant to have her day!!!!!!!

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