Opportunity For Change

It amazes me with the plethora of data, statistics and multimedia major news reports concerning the plight of the young black men in our community that we, the men of the community, the older brothers of these young brothers do not throw 100% of our support behind an effort to educate and protect one of our most valuable treasures. Even biblically we can clearly see that when the evil ruler feared the uprising of a people who may save their people through the development of treasure, wisdom, knowledge and invention, that same evil ruler commanded the slaughter of the baby boys. Kill the seed and the crop will never grow, so you effectively destroy or at least successfully delay any fruitful harvest. We recognize unmistakably that systems have been in place for many years to impede the development of our full potential.

We comfortably and (of course in many instances correctly) label those systems as systemic racism and intolerable classicism. Yet, we have opportunity to make some of the most fundamental changes when it comes to the educating and saving off our young black men and fail to attend to the genesis of such responsive and programmatic change. It is our responsibility to walk the talk and respond to the call for support of the effort in the Rochester City School District to establish the first public all boys school, which will focus its energies on our young black men and effectively teach them so that they may navigate the treacherous waters of misconceptions and miseducation that they have been victimized by for far too long and go on to higher learning, business ownership and family responsibility. Victims victimize others and what we see occurring in the streets of our city is the reflection of what is going on in too many of these young men’s lives.

Young black men are currently caught in a web of economic conditions, social relations, and political predicaments that portray their future in very bleak terms. For example, the structural unemployment of young black men has reached virtually epidemic proportions; with black unemployment double that of white youth. Almost half of young black men have had no work experience at all. Given the permanent shift in the U.S. economy from manufacturing and industrial jobs to high tech and service employment, and the flight of these jobs from the cities to the suburbs, the prospects for eroding the stubborn unemployment of young black men appear slim.

Without a strong educational base and higher achievement academically our young black men will fit into one of three categories and none include attaining wealth and security for self or family. We have said it many times before; if our young black men are not appropriately guided by the older black men who should be their life model then who will they turn to and where will they end up? I submit to you that the grave, the prison and the mental institution will have enlarged themselves for the accommodation of our young black men if we do not cry aloud that enough is enough and put our money, efforts and time into saving this most precious treasure of ours.

Dr. Wakili Moore, former Principal of Charlotte High School and one of the sons of my long past and great friend and colleague Dr. Eldridge Moore, has been charged and empowered by the Rochester City School District to create and establish a programmatic answer in the form of an all male school, a leadership academy, a place where young men can learn not only their core competencies but self discipline and respect not only for self but for the community at large. I challenge each brother in the community to assist this brother in making this school successful and volunteer as a mentor for just one young man for at least one year (preferably for all four high school years) and prove to ourself and the many naysayers that we Black men not only love our children but we have decided to be fully accountable by protecting our seed. This is how I feel about this issue but more importantly how do you feel about it?

Tom Richards Wins Special Election in Rochester, NY Mayoral Race

This is what it all lead up to; the weeks of discussion, debate and community critique, the results of this special election would determine the predecessor of former Mayor and current Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy.

With three years left to fulfill and facing a myriad of social, economical and political problems requiring sound solutions the next mayor would have to draw on experience and a fundamental ability to reason with and negotiate him or herself through the high tide of uncertainty and skepticism that was sure to follow. The three candidates left standing throughout the campaign season although as short as it was included former mayor Bill Johnson, Tom Richards, a holdover from the Duffy administration and Alex White, local business owner and Green Party candidate, what many referred to as the alternative candidate. Richards, the new darling of the local Democratic Party and closely knit ally of Joseph Morelle, David Gant and the rest of the Albany clan showed little fear or apprehension during the special election and portrayed and uncanny confidence that almost assured the party faithful of a win in the special election.

 Bill Johnson on the other hand although equally fearless and with 12 years of bonafide experience running the City government under his belt was forced to contend with the critics who would not let the fast ferry debacle die a peaceful death nor could they forget the microenterprise money that should have gone to the business owners on West Main Street to improve their business facades and upgrade the walk ways hopefully enhancing their capability to draw new customers and appeal to the outlying residents of the county to come into the city and spend their money. The same microenterprise money reportedly went to the high falls district and the (at that time) new microbrewery enterprises that eventually went belly up and the funds wasted in the long run on people and businesses that could afford to lose it in the first place, or so some city residents were inclined to believe. With all of this baggage to carry on a notably uphill special election battle whose terrain was already strewn with the bloated corpses of issues such as mayoral control of the schools and major cutback deliberations that were inevitable for the incoming mayor, Bill Johnson’s record as reflected in the prior examples may have burdened him to the point of not being able to pull the necessary extra 2000 plus votes from the community which may have jettisoned him over the top and this story might have had quite a different ending.

To add insult to injury some may say that the repeated snubbing of Bill Johnson by Joe Morelle and the Democratic Party may have been enough to convince dedicated democrats in the city to not look back and believe that Tom Richards was the face of the future, although that face may appear for a short three years; reelections are not guaranteed by current wins.

The Green Party would not be undone in this process as they presented their candidate, Alex White as their choice who in the long run with around 2000 votes may have made more of a statement than anyone else when it comes to the discussion of just enough votes (remember Bill Johnson needed approximately that many to tie or pass Tom Richards in this contest?) and furthermore the outpouring of community activist may have caused Alex White to have a better chance than most to have such an alternative vote showing, yet in the end it appeared that good ideas and faithful entrepreneurialism is not enough for the seasoned voters of Rochester, NY. 

This night as electrically charged as it may have been quickly began to fizzle as the early returns started pouring in. Finally as the results were halfway completed it appeared inevitable that Tom Richards would indeed become the next mayor of the City of Rochester. Tom Richards did not have a cakewalk during the campaign process because “ghosts of RG&E past” and rate increases that negatively impacted most families within the city (and the county, I might add) were still quite fresh on the minds of a populace who along with every other municipality across these United States have to contend with price and rate increases in almost every critical and life sustaining area of their day to day existence. Yet all in all, the strength and experience gained by Richards serving in the Duffy administration along with the well developed and appropriately marketed commercial ads on television and radio supported by a strong call out to the community for their support sealed the deal.

 How else could a campaign be affected if not positively when the former mayor and current Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York publicly endorses you, and as they say in the music industry, “the beat goes on”. Notwithstanding the absentee ballots and the final election certification, 49% of the voting public (which was 26%, the most for any special election) decided and it appears final that Tom Richards is in fact the Mayor-Elect and can now put the work in the forefront as the political rhetoric of a well contested special election fades to black. With 42% of the vote going to Bill Johnson a statement of required accountability has been issued to the incoming administration that it may not be business as usual, but then again that type of rhetoric has been heard in most post election banter.

The Experts Speak: Parent’s and Student’s Perspective on Mayoral Control.

I have participated in the past several months in “at the table” discussions regarding the Mayor of Rochester, NY, the Honorable Robert Duffy, former Chief of Police of this same mid-sized upstate NY American city’s intent on taking control of the Rochester City School District’s administration and operation. Through out these discussions whether behind closed doors, within smaller break out groups or one on one my position remains steadfast and immovable. I am completely against Mayoral control of the school system! My staunch  opposition is that the Mayor seizing control of the Public School system in Rochester, NY is not only a poor choice but an absolutely wrong choice. Considering many of the diverse discussions and individuals who have been a part of shaping the argument for and against mayoral control, not forgetting nor overlooking the major stakeholders such as parents, grand parents, students, law guardians and teachers (to name a select few), who have been shut out of the process thus far, I can without shame commend the Community Education Task Force effort to spotlight the REAL experts in this matter. So, on Tuesday May 25th, 2010 the Community Education Task Force (CETF) will bring together a panel of Rochester City School District parents and students to speak with and share there unfiltered opinions and concerns regarding this issue with the community and invited guests, many of whom have been recognized as the “experts” in this issue, such as Mayor Robert Duffy, City Council Members, Board of Education members, Union Leaders, College Presidents, and State Legislators, and many more. This Panel presentation and discussion will convene promptly at 4:30 PM and is slated to last until 7:30 PM at the Wilson Foundation Academy (the former Wilson Magnet High School and previous to that the West High School) at 200 Genesee Street, Rochester, NY. Dinner will be offered following the discussion and much-needed childcare will be available. All are welcome to attend this historical event! The event will be hosted by the Student Government Association of the Wilson Foundation Academy.

A well written brochure has been developed by the Community Education Task Force and with the support of the Rochester Teacher’s Union and the printing facilities of the Rehanna Enterprises Digital Imaging Studios (a subsidiary of Tillman & Associates Multimedia Communications and Marketing Solutions), 569 Thurston Road Rochester, NY 14619 the message is going out via mailing and door to door canvassing that the seizing of the educational system by the Office of the Mayor of Rochester NY is not the heal all remedy to Rochester’s education ills! So what are the experts really saying about mayoral control of school districts through out the USA? “There is a great risk of limiting minority participation through mayoral control. (Wong 2006); “…mayoral control is positively related to a widening of the achievement gap between the races.” (Wong et al, Education Mayor Improving America’s Schools); “The record on mayoral control of schools is unimpressive. Eleven big-city school districts take part in federal test called the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Two of the lowest-performing cities-Chicago, and Cleveland are under mayoral control.” (Diane Ravitch, former Under Secretary of Education); “The bottom line is that school district reform is messy, difficult work that requires repeated efforts over several years…In the end, governance reform may result in improvements in a district’s fiscal condition, but may not have sustainable impacts on student achievement, especially of low-income and minority students.” (Public Policy Forum). My desire is that the attendees of this community discussion will depart more accurately informed than they were when they arrived. The public needs to know that mayoral control is part of a bigger movement to privatize urban schools and destroy unions! Mayoral control tends to marginalize, exploit and disenfranchise urban residents giving special interest groups decision-making power and it makes education just another departmental function of the mayor’s office. Mayoral control limits parental and community involvement in the educational process, widening the achievement gap between affluent students and students of poverty and mayoral control has failed nationally in urban education.

Clearly Mayor Robert Duffy’s plan (actually non-plan) is to consolidate city and district departments and keep schools open longer. Adding insult to injury the mayor’s plan deprives citizens of their right to vote for school board members. What is that all about?

What Mayor Duffy has accomplished so far is; eliminated community participation in neighborhood planning, slashed funding to after-school and recreation center programs, eliminated neighborhood police precincts (better known in Rochester as “Sections“) and failed to display any history of educational knowledge, experience or expertise. Many in the community have asked what they can do to be a part of the solution. There are a number of concrete things that each and everyone of us can do, the point is just do something, below are some suggestions.

1. Join the CETF (Community Education Task Force) which convenes every Wednesday at 5:30 PM at the Freedom School, 630 Goodman Street, Rochester, NY.
2. Canvass Rochester, NY households to talk about mayoral control; call 585-317-2367 for more details.
3. Get signatures on our petition; email us for a copy at community-education-internal@lists.rocus.org
4. Attend forums about mayoral control and speak out; tell your friends and family!
5. Call the legislators in Albany, NY (State Capital) who will ultimately decide and tell them emphatically NO MAYORAL CONTROL!

Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty April 2010…will this make a difference? We want to hear from you!

 

US President Barack Obama greets Hungarian President Gordon Bajnai before a dinner at the US Ambassador’s residence in Prague on April 8, 2010. Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev signed a landmark treaty committing their nations to major nuclear arms cuts. Under the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), the former Cold War foes will be allowed a maximum of 1,550 deployed warheads, about 30 percent lower than a limit set in 2002. It also imposes limits on the air and submarine-borne intercontinental ballistic missiles that carry warheads.

Mayoral Control Of Schools: An In Depth Dialogue

 

MONDAY, March 8 @ 7 PM

Featured presenters: Gerard Wenzke and Van White, Esq

 Mr. White and Mr. Wenzke will lead an in-depth dialogue on the pedagogic, economic and political purpose of mayoral control of the RCSD. The speakers will present points and counter points over 15 mins each with a focus on kids and teacher performance, transactional efficiency, and the cost-benefit. The audience will be invited to share perspectives during the 60 min Q&A segment with the speakers. Come prepared to talk on all things hot and salient to urban education.

Location – 728 University Ave.
Time: 7 PM – 9 PM – Free and open to the public, suggested donation of $5 requested. No one turned away.

About Van White

Van is an attorney and maintains a civil law practice focused on medical malpractice, personal injury, and civil and human rights violations.  Van was elected to the Rochester City School Board in January 2007 where he serves as Vice President and on numerous committees.  White’s children have graduated or are enrolled in a District school.

About Gerard Wenzke

Gerry retired as CEO of First Niagara Risk Management in 2008. Gerry serves on the boards of the Lakeside Healthcare System, the Epilepsy Foundation, the Finger Lakes Healthcare 2020 Performance Commission and the Rochester Education and Literacy Commission. Gerry and his wife Caryl reside in Mendon and have three children and one grandchild.

This event is sponsored by the New York State Council for the Humanities.

Rochester City School District teachers get professional develpment credit – 2 hrs

 

 

Our children are not guinea pigs: The critically important issue of mayoral control — observations and thoughts by a seriously concerned parent.

 

 

 

February 24, 2010

Howard  J.  Eagle

 

It’s been a long time since I read a newspaper article and became really pissed off, but that definitely occurred on the evening of February 23rd — in the process of reading (several times) an article titled ‘College leaders back mayoral control of Rochester schools‘ — published on the Democrat and Chronicle‘s website.

 

My initial thought was, and still is, that even if 119 or 1,019 college presidents from around the world declared their support for mayoral control — that wouldn’t change my mind one little bit (if for no other reason) because I’ll never support (under any circumstances or conditions) the idea of diminishing predominantly poor African American and Hispanic peoples suffrage rights — never!

 

I asked myself (out loud) how could college presidents (of all people) be so ignorant? However, once I got over the initial shock of what I had read — it dawned on me that they aren’t really ignorant at all. People don’t become presidents of colleges and universities, especially internationally known, top-rated universities, by being ignorant — or do they?

 

With regard to this particular situation — I concluded that the gang of 19 was fully aware of what they were doing. That is, they had made a collective, conscious, choice (at his request) to back the smooth-talking, fair-haired, hometown all American Mayor — even if it was at the expense of the lives and futures of our children. Like Duffy (politically speaking), they had chosen “the hill that they are willing to die on.”  That is, the national hill of Arnold Duncan school-of -thought and direction (privatization today — privatization tomorrow — privatization forever).

 

What really dawned on me though was that this is no longer a normal, run-of-the-mill debate. People, especially Robert Duffy is really playing hard-ball politics. I also thought about how correct Rochester City Councilman Adam McFadden had been several weeks earlier (1/14/10) when, as a guest on Bob Smith’s WXXI radio talk show — he had mentioned the possibility of the mayoral control issue tearing the community apart in a manner that we haven’t seen for many years. This possibility and probability certainly is evidenced by the fact that we now have top leaders of local colleges and universities taking a public position that is diametrically opposed to the position taken by some of the most notable professors and researchers working at those same colleges and universities. Several outstanding examples that immediately come to mind include the position of Joel Seligman vis-a-vis that of Dr. David Hursh; Dr. William Destler vis-a-vis distinguished professor of public policy and former Rochester mayor William Johnson, and Daan Braveman vis-a-vis professor and former Fairport, NY and Rochester City School District Superintendent, Dr. William Cala. Perhaps this is all part of healthy dialogue, but one thing for sure is — it is not part of the norm.

 

The actual letter of support, which was endorsed by “the presidents of every major higher learning institution in the area,” and sent to the president and Publisher of the Democrat and Chronicle — is really quite amazing. The first amazing thing about it is that, according to the above referenced article, the presidents had made a decision to support Duffy as early as 2/3/10. A full twenty days after the decision was made, the original version of the 2/23/10 letter from 19 top-level “academians” contained at least two typos. I don’t mean to nit-pick, but is it not reasonable to expect excellence from this group?

 

In their soon to be infamous letter, these “academians” claim that they “realize that all involved in this discussion want the best for our students…” Our students? By their own admission (no pun intended) most RCSD students never even come close to gaining entrance into their colleges and universities. Another very amazing thing about their letter and position is that they magically connect the latter fact to the issue of “governance” within the RCSD — amazing!

 

With regard to the issue of RCSD governance (as a guest on Bob Smith’s WXXI radio talk show on 2/11/10) former Rochester mayor and distinguished RIT professor of public policy, William Johnson is quoted as having said the following: “My view is that we need to look at the more basic issues here. I think we need to look at how to reform the delivery of urban education, not the governance structure. I think, to be fair — to say that you’re going to disrupt a whole $700 million structure — subsume it into your organization, and if it doesn’t work after 4 years, you will take it and send it back — you can’t put humpty-dumpty back together again, after you have made all those changes, and I think that we (as a community) need to understand that it is easier said than done. It has been tried by people much smarter than Bob Duffy and Bill Johnson, and they haven’t been able to make it work. It has been tried by communities all over the country. With all due respect to Mayor Duffy (a man who I admire; a man who I supported for election; a man who I worked with for 12 years; a man whose sincerity I do not question in the least bit) — I think he is biting off a lot more than he can chew (as we say down South), particularly given some of the other challenges which this City

faces at this particular point and time.”

 

Also, in their letter — in the process of pointing out extremely poor performance on English Exams by 8th graders at two RCSD schools — the intellectual “dream-team” made the blatantly obvious point that “students who cannot understand what they are reading, cannot succeed in high school,” (no kidding). What’s most interesting about this observation is that if anyone should know, these super-intellectuals certainly should know that mounds of research exists, which supports the vital need for successful students to be reading at or above grade level by or about 3rd grade. Thus, the critical task is not to just point out that schools have huge numbers of students who are light-years away from where they should be relative to basic skills-development. In so doing, they are only describing a symptom, which almost anyone can do, but the real fundamental issue and problem that must be solved is figuring out and eliminating that which allows for “84%” or “85%” of a school’s student body to reach 8th grade without having acquired basic reading, writing and math skills. This is absolutely one of the most critical issues that must be thoroughly addressed in any legitimate, authentic, urban education reform model. Since we know that Board of Education members are not directly responsible for teaching reading, writing and arithmetic — I can’t wait to hear the academic leaders explain how this and other such fundamentally critical issues are related to RCSD governance. Clearly as professor Johnson pointed out — this is an educational delivery issue, as opposed to one of governance.

 

Furthermore, when intellectuals begin hypocritically spewing rhetoric about poor academic “results [being] especially tragic in Rochester, a city with a proud history of quality educational institutions that has fueled entrepreneurialism, innovation and creativity for almost two centuries” — then we can be absolutely certain that they don’t have the best interests of the majority of our students in mind or at heart. Remember the history. “Two centuries” ago the ancestors of the overwhelming majority of our students couldn’t get near the “quality educational institutions,”  which the intellectuals referenced in their letter. 

 

They also make the bogus claim that “there is considerable evidence that mayoral control improves outcomes from cities as diverse at [their typo] New York City, Boston, New Haven, Hartford, Cleveland, Washington D.C. and Chicago.” I say if “considerable evidence” exists — they should produce it now.

 

The president of Finger Lakes Community College was quoted as having the audacity to say that “overwhelming research shows [mayoral control] has delivered good results.” Wow! Again I say, if “overwhelming” evidence exists — they should produce it now.  

 

It’s difficult to determine whose statements (the intellectual’s or Duffy’s) are most ludicrous and absurd. With regard to the gang of 19, the Mayor is quoted as having said “I think they are as connected as anybody could be…”  Incredible! Imagine that. I mean really imagine that this guy is serious. He really means this — I think.

 

We (RCSD parents and concerned community members in general) absolutely cannot allow the likes of Duffy and/or totally disconnected intellectuals , or anyone else for that matter — to preside over the destruction of another generation of our children without being at every major decision-making table.

 

We must continue to organize!!!

NYS Capital Government In Albany, NY Hears From Rochester, NY: “We Say NO To 21st Century Jim Crow; We Say No To Mayoral Control Of Our Public School System!”

As a result of a unified effort of union leaders, board of education commissioner, concerned parents, civic organizations, clergy and community activist leaders positive results are expected from the lobbying efforts opposing Mayor Robert Duffy, Assemblyman Joseph Morelle and Assemblyman David Gant power grab and their combined effort to take over the Rochester City School District, actually dismissing the duly elected school board that represents the concerns and voices of parents and students. The parents  and teachers have not been consulted regarding the mayors efforts and this has been a virtual slap and disgraceful display of political arrogance on the part of the individuals previously stated. The concern of many is not that the mayor and his group may have a plan that will improvement student performance and operations of administration the concern is that if they indeed do have one why have they not shared it with the current sitting board and those people already in place, even the new superintendent of Schools, Jean-Claude Brizzard and let them execute this terrific plan. Well, there is no plan and has not been a plan from the first announcement during the mayors inauguration address into his unchallenged second term. The critical error was to roll out a plan to take over without a plan that will implement change and improvement. What befuddle me is the mayors failure to see (even with all of his high paid staff surrounding him and whispering unsavory advice into his ears) that a simple apology to the community for his outright naiveté and arrogance and then sit down with the stakeholders in Rochester which includes parents, students, teachers, and the current board of education and hash out a plan that will work towards its expected end. It will be this type of action that will transform the loud resistant voices to a more amicable tone of conversation, or if they really want to die on that hill, it will be the body of their political eulogy, and after all the support Mr Duffy has received from this community it would be a shame to see him go out like that. Think about it. I want to hear what you think should be done and which way the actions of the resistance should proceed. We say NO TO MAYORAL CONTROL OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN ROCHESTER, NY! Ya’ heard!

Mobilizing Against Mayoral Control of Rochester, NY’s City Schools By Rev. C. Michael Tillman, Sr.

The people who have spoken and continue to speak  are consistently ignored by Mayor Robert Duffy and certain Albany Democrat Party Leaders on the Mayor’s plan to seize control of the Rochester City School District. Why do I say that? Because if they are not ignored and are actually heard then Mayor Duffy and Joe Morelle (local democrat party leaders) would slow their role and afford time and attention, (which is usually defined as due diligence) to the many voices in opposition to such an impactful and positively devastating move. I am intrigued by my long time friend, colleague and Mayor,  Robert Duffy’s assertion that a majority of the public are in favor of handing the reins of their children’s education into the hands of unqualified leadership that has little to no experience in the field of education. I do know however that Mr Duffy is  capable when it comes to large fund budgets and that his backers in Albany, NY have handle more dollars than I will probably control all the days of my life, so their ability to mange the money is not what concerns me. Nevertheless more than $1 Billion dollars is quite a bit of filthy lucre for such a few folk to control and not have to answer as a voted in board of education must answer to the public. And please don’t get me started on that board of education that has appeared for the last “umpteenth” years to show less and less competence in choosing its superintendent of Schools let alone make effective decisions regarding educating the children  in question! Mayor Duffy could not even attempt the move he is now attempting if that same elected board had done its job more effectively and had less in fighting and disregard concerning the parents and student needs of this district. So the unions also have an answer to give but we do not want more distractions from the topic at hand, yet we cannot ignore how much of their attention was given and some times even wasted on teachers contracts and not address the incompetence that was prevalent in many cases for way too long and the failed outcomes are now being manipulated to the advantage of the major players in this current production of “How to stick it to the students one more time!” Am I the only one who thinks it odd that neither side have an ample representation of the students who are and will be the most effected by all of this. How do you plan and strategize on either side without hearing from the end-user, those children who will either walk away with a diploma but can still barely read on a 6th grade level or the students who will not graduate because of one reason or another? Yet we are here at this time with the “for” and the “against” and I say to you that “My people (still) are destroyed for the lack of knowledge!” Hosea 6:4

Texas Gov. Attacks Obama Plan for Grants to Schools

San Antonio Gov. Rick Perry lashed out Tuesday at a plan by President Barack Obama that would effectively let local Texas school districts circumvent the state’s decision to not compete for millions in education reform dollars. Obama singled out Texas on Tuesday while outlining a proposed $1.35 billion expansion of the “Race to the Top” education grant program, which Perry has denounced as a federal takeover of public schools. The program is currently only available to states, but Obama’s proposal would let local school districts compete directly for funding down the road. “Innovative districts like the one in Texas whose reform efforts are being stymied by state decision-makers will soon have the chance to earn funding to help them pursue those reforms,” said Obama, speaking at a Virginia elementary school. Perry pounced on that comment later in San Antonio. “If you need any evidence that the federal government is bound and determined to intrude even farther into state affairs, look no farther than today’s news,” he said. Perry went on to call the proposal “further interfering in state and local affairs” and said it shows the Obama administration’s “clear disdain for our rights.” Texas has been among the most visible opponents of “Race to the Top” since Perry made his decision last week to not compete for up to $700 million in grants. Texas Democrats have criticized the move, and some school districts have expressed regret over Perry passing up the money. The deadline to apply for the program was Tuesday. Officials expect more than 30 states to apply, and the Education Department is expected to announce its first of two rounds of grants in April. The $4.3 billion in competitive grants is part of the economic stimulus plan. State Education Commissioner Robert Scott joined Perry in San Antonio, where they unveiled a proposal that would make it easier for high school dropouts to take classes online and obtain their diplomas. Scott said there are no barriers that would prohibit Texas school districts from directly competing for or taking federal money. But he cautioned against school districts going that route. For one thing, Scott said, schools would have to create curriculums that met both state and federal standards. “When they look at the application I looked at, and realize that for a one-time cash payment they’re going to hand their district over to the federal government, I think they’ll take a second guess,” Scott said. Perry has been critical of the federal stimulus program and previous turned down $555 million for the state’s unemployment fund because it would have required Texas to expand unemployment benefits. However, the state did accept billions in federal stimulus money to help balance its two-year budget in 2009.

Duffy Wants Control of the Rochester City School District (Surprise-Surprise)!

It was first revealed via a 12/21/09 DO&CO Editorial that Mayor Robert Duffy wants control of the Rochester City School District (surprise)! The fact that Duffy chose to make his big announcement by way of a meeting with the D&C Editorial Board during the height of Christmas-holiday-season, clearly demonstrates his obvious, blatant disregard and disrespect for the citizens and voters of Rochester.

There are some very serious issues and problems regarding the above referenced editorial, in which the “great revelation” was made public. The article, which is filled with half-baked ideas and pure nonsense, can be accessed at the following link:

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20091221/OPINION04/912210317/1041/OPINION/Rochester-mayor-should-form-plan-for-overseeing-school-district

The very first point that people need to understand is that (regardless of how rich he may be, and regardless of what the D&C editors may think) — the erroneous, in fact libelous assertion that under Michael Bloomberg, there has been widespread, sustainable, fundamental change and improvement in New York City’s public schools — is just that (an erroneous and libelous assertion). In fact, because of Bloomberg’s decisions regarding schools, including decisions to close a number of schools — there are thousands of disgruntled and dissatisfied parents, students, educators and others organizing, and literally protesting in the streets of New York City.

The D&C does a great disservice by presenting simplistic, less than accurate, uninformed, so-called analyses (based apparently on what they have heard from the well- oiled and well-financed Bloomberg-propaganda-machine, or what they have read in the New York Times and/or other such publications).

The facts are that, where thousands upon thousands of New York City students are concerned, fundamentally, nothing has changed under Bloomberg. Huge numbers of students are continuing to experience deprivation regarding lack of adequate and appropriate educational opportunities — just as they were prior to the so-called Bloomberg take-over. Therefore, we can safely conclude that since Michael Bloomberg’s efforts in New York City represent the model upon which Duffy will base his so-called educational reform ideas — then failure is probably imminent.

Furthermore, contrary to popular belief, we don’t necessarily need to be studying / borrowing ideas from other broken-down public education systems and models. Overall, there aren’t any really outstanding, full-fledged models of successful urban education systems in the entire nation. Common sense alone dictates that if such systems did exist, educators would be aware of them, and would be working night and day toward emulation and duplication. Even if such models did exist (mainly because of specific differences regarding political, demographic and other local elements and factors) — it is always very, problematic and difficult to successfully transplant educational ideas and strategies (no matter how good they may be) form one system to another. I believe that the current Superintendent of Rochester Schools, as well as many before him, will attest to this fact. We have known for many years that one, key ingredient of successful educational reform is authenticity (based on local circumstances, conditions, and proper / efficient utilization of local resources). With regard to the latter point, the Rochester City School District has failed miserably — relative to effectively and efficiently tapping and utilizing the huge reservoir of human knowledge and expertise that exists locally. Instead, the general preference has been to go looking elsewhere for high-priced, generally ineffective “experts”, consultants and advisors of every hue and stripe.

Secondly, there is in some cases a subtle, and in other cases very pronounced, but also fundamentally flawed, erroneous and baffling, widespread belief that Robert Duffy is doing a great job of running the city. How could this possibly be — when double-digit unemployment in certain sectors of Rochester has remained constant for each of the last four years that he has been in office, and illegal drugs and weapons (the latter of which youth at younger and younger ages are using to annihilate each other, often on a daily basis) — flow through Rochester like water from High Falls?

While it doesn’t take a genus to understand that “graduation rates correlate directly to crime in the city” or anywhere else for that matter — thinking-people are aware of the fact that deep-seated, rampant, violent, crime cannot be solely explained by or ascribed totally to low graduation rates. There are much larger and deeper factors at play, which also represent underlying reasons for the low graduation rate. Even if this was not the case, the idea that Duffy “envisions a school district with more after-school programs and schools that are open on weekends for community use” — is far from a solution regarding low graduation and high crime rates. In fact, it would be interesting to see what types of enticements or incentives would be utilized to get huge numbers of students who routinely do not attend school during the regular school day — to attend after school programs, and if they do — it would be even more interesting and enlightening to see how after school programs would be structured differently than the regular school day — to the extent that it would result in significant, sustainable, academic, socioeconomic and cultural improvement for sizeable numbers of students, particularly those who are classified as “hard-core.” Don’t get me wrong — I believe that expanded access to public school facilities is a step in the right direction, but to view it or present it as a panacea is terribly misguided, and a sure-fire prescription for continued, entrenched, massive failure.

Additionally, if the mayor “wants to work with businesses to get more jobs for teenagers” — what is he waiting for? Many of us have heard this song and dance for so long that we thought such efforts were well underway long ago.

Keep in mind that we haven’t even asked the most critical question yet: Where will Duffy’s educational expertise come from? Managing a budget is one thing (although admittedly a very important task) — budgetary management alone does not automatically translate into quality and/or improved educational outcomes.

Lastly, whether in New York City, Rochester, or any other city — the idea of mayoral control of city schools is as undemocratic as it can possibly be, and would clearly move us in a direction of fascism (as opposed to so-called democracy). Who is Robert Duffy or Albany lawmakers for that matter — to dictate to the people of Rochester that the Mayor and/or the bumbling-fumbling, largely dysfunctional State Legislature are qualified to choose the people’s representatives at any level of government? If people in the suburbs and rural areas have a right to choose their representatives on Boards of Education, and they do — then there is no logical, acceptable explanation as to why tax-paying, Constitutionally-protected city residents shouldn’t enjoy the same rights and privileges — period.

In the final analysis, with regard to the idea of mayoral control of the Rochester City School District — it is our hope that “Duffy [does get] a chance to have his ideas debated” — so that we can put his and the all-wise, all-knowing D&C educational czars’ foolishness to rest (once and for all)!

Howard I. Eagle

Education Committee Chairperson

Activists Against Racism Movement (http://aarm.rocus.org; aarm@rocus.org)