Urban Action 3/19

[
      {
        "name": "500x250 Ad",
        "insertPoint": "5",
        "component": "15667920",
        "parentWrapperClass": "",
        "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
      }
    ]

This week's calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.)

RCSD budget presentation

Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas will present his proposed budget for the 2014-2015 school year at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 24. The presentation will take place at the district's central office, 131 West Broad Street.

Public education book talk

Friends and Foundation of the Rochester Public Library will present a book discussion, "Reign of Error: the Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools," by education historian Diane Ravitch. Rochester school board president Van White will lead the discussion at 12:12 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, at 115 South Avenue.

Talk on Holocaust

Nazareth College will present "Holocaust by Bullets: a Model for Mass Crimes of Today," a talk by the Rev. Patrick Desbois at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 24. Desbois, a French Catholic priest, has spent most of his life searching for mass graves and recording witness information. The event will be held at Nazareth Arts Center.

Afghan kite celebration

Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers and Rochester Against War invite the public to celebrate the Afghan new year with kite flying from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 22. Kite flying is a traditional way of celebrating Nowruz, the Afghan holiday which falls on the spring equinox. The event will be held on Saturday, March 22, at Cobbs Hill Park. Bring your own kite.

Labor discussion

Rochester Red and Black will hold a book discussion at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 23. The group will discuss "Reviving the Strike" by Joe Burns, a labor attorney who draws on economics, history, and a current analysis of events to conclude that labor must return to striking. The event will be held at 167 Flanders Street.

Charter school fair

E3 Rochester will hold a charter schools fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 22, at the Ryan Center on the School 33 campus, 530 Webster Avenue. The city's charter school representatives will be available to provide information on the schools. April 1 is the deadline to enter the charter school lotteries.

Public meeting on bus stops

The Rochester Genesee Regional Transit Authority will hold a public information meeting about a study under way to improve bus stops. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25. The purpose of the study is to examine the bus stops and determine ways to improve safety, traffic, and services. The event will be held at RGRTA Administrative Building, 1372 East Main Street.