Comment Archives: stories: News & Opinion: News Blog
Re: “Rochester school board candidates see only the tip of the iceberg”
With all due respect to City Newspaper reporter Tim Louis Macaluso, his news report only adds to confusion, surrounding specific types of things that must be done in order to produce widespread change and improvement within the Rochester City School District, and make the District a solidly viable and healthy institution. Rather than viewing, and describing issues raised by me and my colleagues during a recent candidates forum (such as "helping students with skills training to become firefighters, police officers, plumbers, and electricians," i.e., authentic alternative education programs; "better health services for students"; "stopping [the criminal practice of systematic] social promotion"; significantly reducing "high salaries for Superintendent Bolgen Vargas’s growing cabinet"; ensuring that additional "support for students [is] being directed down to the classroom level"; making sure that "more resources [are] devoted to early childhood development"; and producing "more parent engagement and cultural awareness training") --- as representing the types of things that must be addressed in order to effectively halt "a declining student population," and the wild proliferation of (in some cases) semi-private-like charter schools, which he maintains will "fill their seats with city students" --- Mr. Macaluso made the critically important mistake of setting up a false dichotomy. That is, because none of us mentioned "declining student population," which he refers to as "the iceberg that’s sending a chill through the administration," apparently he falsely assumed that we are so "perennial" that we are not aware of "the iceberg." He is even more off-base via his simplistic, and unrealistic declaration that "whomever voters put into office better have a plan to navigate around it." It's like the guy doesn't really get it. There is no magic. We did articulate the "plan" via the issues raised above, which must necessarily be effectively addressed in order for the Rochester City School District to compete with charter schools --- the latter of which (in many cases) will prove to be no more effective than traditional schools, particularly as it relates to serving our most challenging students (well), which is why most charter schools routinely engage in "creaming" --- while lying about so-called random lotteries. Charter schools do not represent a panacea for the very old, deep-seated, urban education crisis. In fact, in many cases the corporate and wealthy forces that are behind them, are nothing more or less than sophisticated poverty-pimps.
Re: “Richards' campaign off to a slow start”
Richards has been doing an exceptional job by most accounts and is viewed quite favorably. He is the incumbent and has the party leadership's backing. He's extremely qualified and in my thinking he could easily be the mayor of any city in the country. I just don't see Warren as being a real factor in the upcoming election. Rochester has plenty experience with bad mayors to avoid moving from a known-good mayor to be working towards a questionable alternative.
Re: “Confirmed: Spider-Man crew member beaten, robbed while in Rochester”
Breaking: City of Rochester and downtown merchants beaten, robbed by Spiderman movie
Re: “Sheppard, Warren events stress dire need”
You hit the nail on the head, Louse!
Re: “Richards' campaign off to a slow start”
Lovely Warren is exactly what the City of Rochester needs!
Re: “Sheppard, Warren events stress dire need”
I live in the area this article talks about. The parents of the children mentioned here are all out working two to three sup-par paying Mcjobs. Blaming the parents for "not taking responsibility" is an invalid argument. We are in an economic race to the bottom. Employment figures go up and so do the number of people on food stamps. That tells you that old jobs are being replaced by even worse jobs. So don't count on things getting better anytime soon.
Here's what the kids want. This is what they told the GRCC and Baptist ministers several years ago. The kids want safe spaces for respite open 24/7 so they don't have to be involved in chaotic situations outside of school and home. Disorganization at home often means absent parents out working all those sub-par jobs to keep the family going--a pressure imposed by society. Jobs pay less and what is left of the social safety net is under attack. Things will not get better and the young people will keep becoming vulnerable to gang activity. Don't blame the kids and their families. Look further.
These people, my neighbors, are under tremendous social and economic pressure. It's a powder keg. I found Shepard and Warren's responses shallow. But the reporting of the conversations may have ignored anything substantive either of these officials said.
Re: “Sheppard, Warren events stress dire need”
Unfortunately we're all responsible to one degree or another for the sorry state of Rochester. The suburbs provide too much of a buffer for whites to get it and the wealthy and well-educated in Brighton, Pittsford, Mendon, Rush, Webster and the East side of the city who are largely the power brokers in this community are too insular and self-interested to really care. Without the crippling concentration of crime, poverty, illiteracy in their communities, etc. to motivate people in Greece or Chili or Pittsford to action, the problem is largely going to stay the same. Likewise the citizens of Rochester are often too passive and/or submissive to the status quo, or thwarted by previously-mentioned elites who wish to maintain a certain community appearance. Rochester was called the Image Centre in the '50s and '60s. Unfortunately it is still the Image Center, for the Smugtown crowd.
Re: “Richards' campaign off to a slow start”
how about MOmentum?
Re: “Sheppard, Warren events stress dire need”
I'm sorry, but this article is too, too cute for words.
Sheppard trots out the fact that, several years after the rest of the country, the RPD has finally gotten around to monitoring social media to combat violence, and it’s hailed as an example of how he came “prepared” to this event with immediate responses to public concerns.
And likewise Ms. Warren’s concern for education seems more tardy than “immediate” given that she’s had over three years as city council president to focus her attention on the city school situation (and to convince her colleagues on the council that this area should be their first priority). But for some reason the subject never seems to have come up (nowhere in her biography and personal "mission statement” on the city council’s web site does she give the condition of Rochester’s schools even a passing mention) until she decided to run for mayor. Then it became the centerpiece of her campaign.
Isn’t it about time for City Newspaper to get back to reporting the news and stop acting as shills and press agents for their political pals?
Re: “Sheppard, Warren events stress dire need”
This story is heartbreaking because it is so real and the situation is truly dire. I am grateful to both Chief Sheppard and Lovely Warren for confronting these issues head on. And there is much for us all to do. Yes, parents need to be involved. Yes, everyone in the community needs to be involved, as well the police, the City schools, and community leaders. But I am concerned that no one is ever asking Maggie Brooks what her responsibility is for these children. These kids are the children of Monroe County, not just the city. In fact Brooks basically blames these kids and their families for Monroe County's high taxes. That is not at all constructive. Until we hold Brooks accountable for her pure neglect of these kids, we will never have a community-wide appreciation for the need for us to act collectively. We are all, especially the media, letting her off the hook for no good reason.
Re: “Richards' campaign off to a slow start”
Who cares about either Lovely Warren or Tom Richards? Like I said a couple months ago, Democrats have had 40 years of control in this city. Has it improved? I'm looking elsewhere, and as of now, that's Alex White.
Re: “Confirmed: Spider-Man crew member beaten, robbed while in Rochester”
So much for the pipe dream of Hollywood-on-the-Genesee.
Re: “Richards' campaign off to a slow start”
"Lovely Warren, City Council president and Richards’ likely opponent in a September primary, is active on Twitter at #lovelyformayor, and Facebook. "
So what? Anyone who thinks that social media is going to play a significant role in this local campaign is probably one of those who can't walk into a restaurant without slapping their I-Phone down on the table and playing with it throughout the meal. Or who can't drive without texting. Or who's missed the significance of the fact that the root word of "Twitter" is "twit".
Warren may have the MOjo (whatever the hell that means in the real world), but Richards has the MOney. Let's see which is the MOre important come Primary Day.
Re: “Tiresome antics at the County Legislature”
Does anyone actually need the County Lej?
Re: “RCSD: Longer days for an out-of-school culture?”
The same logic that has been in place (and failing miserably) for decades. If a child fails Math, give him two Math classes at the same time, If he fails these, make him go to summer school and then assign him two additional classes. None of which addresses the root problems, and results in the inability to take classes that might better suit the child's abilities and interests, such as Art, Technology and other "elective" courses. I can't tell you how many times I have been called to the office to explain my "poor attendance keeping records" because I was showing 100% or at least regular attendance for a child that was showing in school records as absent from school or missing classes. Only to walk the administrator to class and point out the student happily present and learning. The students would simply skip the classes they were failing and attend the classes they were successful and happy in. At the same time I would constantly hear from Math and English teachers that a student couldn't do basic math or write a coherent sentence, only to show the same student using applied algebraic skills to solve a hands-on technical problem and write the required lab write up. There are solutions, and there are failed practices. Extending a school day to address the issue of truancy is ridiculous. They already, by their absence, have told you what they think about attending school at all, never mind for a longer day!
Re: “RCSD: Longer days for an out-of-school culture?”
This news article is really weird. The author asked a very important question (via the article's Headline), but then he apparently forgot to write the correct story, that is, the content of the story does not correlate with the headline (AT ALL). It is very important to ask about logic regarding the so-called "extended-day," which Vargas has been touting as part of the "solution" for addressing very old, widespread, massive, academic failure within the RCSD, i.e., the idea of (according to Vargas) creating additional opportunities for students to have more "time-on-task," which really is an amazingly flawed idea and strategy, especially when considering that, under current school-day--schedules, hundreds upon hundreds of teachers are chronically absent. If, as Teachers' Union President Adam Urbanski was quoted as having said: "Everything being piled on teachers right now has created such an atmosphere of stress and anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed, that some teachers need the time off just to regroup" --- then what exactly does Vargas expect will happen when the school-day is extended? Also, considering that (under existing time schedules) thousand upon thousands of students, many of whom are among the most needy relative to additional time-on-task, are currently missing huge amounts of school, what exactly does Vargas believe will happen under a longer school day? It is time for [Vargas] to go back to the drawing board, either that, or it is completely predictable, and certain that lots of money and time will be spent on a fundamentally flawed idea, which cannot possibly result in significant academic improvement. Another thing, which is very weird about the article, and others by the particular author, is that he continuously quotes suburban parents, such as "Carrie Remis," and I keep asking who do these, much-quoted, white, upper-middle class, suburbanite, parents represent?
Re: “Clash between Legislature Dems, GOP continues”
Talk about the gang that can't shoot straight. The Democrats criticized the Republicans for dumping their previous leader, Daniele, b/c he supported them on ONE issue. As if the Republicans care what the Democrats think about internal party issues. THIS is their idea of strategy? Doesn't matter who leads the Dems in the Legislature, they still end up over a cliff.
Re: “Confirmed: Spider-Man crew member beaten, robbed while in Rochester”
we need superman, wonder woman and batman to come here and kick his butt
Re: “Confirmed: Spider-Man crew member beaten, robbed while in Rochester”
Where was Superman when we needed him most?!
Re: “Rochester school board candidates see only the tip of the iceberg”
What the hell does a declining student population have to do with the fact that the RCSD has proven to be incompetent when it comes to educating Rochester's children? The declining population is a symptom of the problem, not the cause.
I was at the forum, and I found it to be both a robust and entertaining discussion. It's time for a new approach to educating our children. what we're doing now isn't working.