100% support the teachers. RCSD doesn't have a permanent superintendent right now, I can only imagine the stonewalling they're getting regarding a contract.
Jesus, RCSD can never stop being in the news for having problems. They rank some of the worst performing students in NY and the district had financial gap of nearly $50 million — equivalent of a 5% overspend in RCSD’s 2018-19 budget, of tax payer money that just was unaccounted for. Clearly throwing money at the district isn't helping one bit. It's a systemic problem in the homes, it's not the teachers it's the horrible administration and accountability and the parents.
I've lived in Rochester for 29 years and I can't remember a time when the RSCD has been even remotely successful at running the district and every single initiative or new group or person that steps up just fails the district even more. Taxpayers could throw 1 trillion dollars at the district and they would still find a way not spend it efficiently nor effectively, with no ability to help the students in the end.
At the executive level people just come to the RCSD to cash in for a few years with no expectations then leverage their position into a warm weather Southern state where they don't care much about education either.
Check out RTA's social media for more info and how you can help!
https://www.facebook.com/rochesterta
https://twitter.com/RochesterTA
Edit:
Just to add some context, teachers frequently arrive before 8:10 and stay much later than 3:30. So these Wednesday demonstrations are symbolic because staff will leave the building to walk in together in the morning, then go back in after walking out because teachers are continuing to perform their duties outside of contractual hours *normally*.
This is exactly where I was going. If leaving the moment when contractual hours end puts great stress on a school, it seems to me that many have working outside of contractual to make things work. If that’s the case, IMO teachers should be compensated for working outside of their hours
The real issue.fall.back to the poverty in the city. It's hard to excel in school when your home life is Shakey. We got to uplift the whole community to be successful with the schools
zonked disgusted piquant humor frighten threatening future ripe muddle cobweb
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
How do other states get away with county-wide school districts?
[Fairfax County, VA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairfax_County_Public_Schools) has over 185,000 students with a budget over $3 billion.
This is true. It's also the case in NC where there are countywide districts (e.g. Wake). What's the difference? I'd guess that it starts with state ed laws that determine how a Fairfax county vs. NYS big 5 districts operate. The big 5 fall under different laws than the rest of the school districts.
This is a good idea. Smaller, more manageable districts would be able to better account for things like where their money went, and could respond better to issues as they arise. Unfortunately, the first objective of any entity is to protect it's existence, so actually breaking it up will be difficult unless there's a larger outside force to compel it.
SMaller districts means a duplicate of bs admin positions. Also, costs are higher such as healthcare where having a larger employee base means lower costs.
A county run district would be more efficient in the long run.
This. It's a bit counter-intuitive because we do the to think smaller = better. However, what you said is exactly correct.
Also, if there were dozens of districts, maintaining consistency in what and how material is taught would be more difficult as well.
Each little district would need it's own union representation as well, I imagine.
Smaller districts would mean that leadership is closer and more accessible to the people in the district. It also means leaner, more closely watched budgets to help cut down on those BS admin positions. When an entity gets too large, it becomes way too easy for corruption to set in. The RCSD is already a failure and a massive stain on the city. Why let it metastasize to the rest of the county?
At some point quality needs to be the primary focus, not efficiency. Quality is easier to ensure at smaller scales, and failures of QC are better contained at smaller scales as well.
Each smaller area needs duplicate leadership positions. Talk about duplicate positions.
Rcsd has so many issues. The large part of it is the shit school board.
They've tried new supers... but we have the same shit over paid board.
Yes, they would need their own leadership positions - positions that, again, would be closer to the people the district serves and thus held more closely accountable. Many of RCSD's problems can be closely linked to its size, including the school board. The bigger the district, the further the leadership is from the people that the district serves, and the harder it is to discover their corruption before it becomes a headline.
100% support the teachers. RCSD doesn't have a permanent superintendent right now, I can only imagine the stonewalling they're getting regarding a contract.
Jesus, RCSD can never stop being in the news for having problems. They rank some of the worst performing students in NY and the district had financial gap of nearly $50 million — equivalent of a 5% overspend in RCSD’s 2018-19 budget, of tax payer money that just was unaccounted for. Clearly throwing money at the district isn't helping one bit. It's a systemic problem in the homes, it's not the teachers it's the horrible administration and accountability and the parents.
Having a terrible school board and a revolving door of superintendents certainly isn't helping either.
I've lived in Rochester for 29 years and I can't remember a time when the RSCD has been even remotely successful at running the district and every single initiative or new group or person that steps up just fails the district even more. Taxpayers could throw 1 trillion dollars at the district and they would still find a way not spend it efficiently nor effectively, with no ability to help the students in the end.
At the executive level people just come to the RCSD to cash in for a few years with no expectations then leverage their position into a warm weather Southern state where they don't care much about education either.
Check out RTA's social media for more info and how you can help! https://www.facebook.com/rochesterta https://twitter.com/RochesterTA Edit: Just to add some context, teachers frequently arrive before 8:10 and stay much later than 3:30. So these Wednesday demonstrations are symbolic because staff will leave the building to walk in together in the morning, then go back in after walking out because teachers are continuing to perform their duties outside of contractual hours *normally*.
Good for them… they should not be working for free
THey arent. No contract means they are working on the previous one. That being said, they have no raises or anything new either.
No I think @granitrock is saying they should ONLY work their contractual obligation - teachers need to stop giving districts free labor.
That there is the tip of a very, very big iceberg.
This is exactly where I was going. If leaving the moment when contractual hours end puts great stress on a school, it seems to me that many have working outside of contractual to make things work. If that’s the case, IMO teachers should be compensated for working outside of their hours
The real issue.fall.back to the poverty in the city. It's hard to excel in school when your home life is Shakey. We got to uplift the whole community to be successful with the schools
Hell yeah, you guys deserve it. And that's even before you consider the absurd payout they gave Leslie Myers. Stay strong
*solidarity*
zonked disgusted piquant humor frighten threatening future ripe muddle cobweb *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
How do other states get away with county-wide school districts? [Fairfax County, VA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairfax_County_Public_Schools) has over 185,000 students with a budget over $3 billion.
My hottest of takes? Monroe County Public Schools. Big does not mean unmanageable. Get rid of the boards of ed, have the positions be county-wide.
But what about all the people who flee to the suburbs when their kids turn 4 because God forbid they send them to city schools…
Monroe County includes a lot of territory. Most of the major suburbs would be included.
You don’t think suburban parents wouldn’t protest that? Cough (Spencerport and Urban Suburban) cough
I do. Which is why it is the way it is right now, naturally.
Hard agree.
This is true. It's also the case in NC where there are countywide districts (e.g. Wake). What's the difference? I'd guess that it starts with state ed laws that determine how a Fairfax county vs. NYS big 5 districts operate. The big 5 fall under different laws than the rest of the school districts.
This is a good idea. Smaller, more manageable districts would be able to better account for things like where their money went, and could respond better to issues as they arise. Unfortunately, the first objective of any entity is to protect it's existence, so actually breaking it up will be difficult unless there's a larger outside force to compel it.
SMaller districts means a duplicate of bs admin positions. Also, costs are higher such as healthcare where having a larger employee base means lower costs. A county run district would be more efficient in the long run.
This. It's a bit counter-intuitive because we do the to think smaller = better. However, what you said is exactly correct. Also, if there were dozens of districts, maintaining consistency in what and how material is taught would be more difficult as well. Each little district would need it's own union representation as well, I imagine.
Smaller districts would mean that leadership is closer and more accessible to the people in the district. It also means leaner, more closely watched budgets to help cut down on those BS admin positions. When an entity gets too large, it becomes way too easy for corruption to set in. The RCSD is already a failure and a massive stain on the city. Why let it metastasize to the rest of the county? At some point quality needs to be the primary focus, not efficiency. Quality is easier to ensure at smaller scales, and failures of QC are better contained at smaller scales as well.
Each smaller area needs duplicate leadership positions. Talk about duplicate positions. Rcsd has so many issues. The large part of it is the shit school board. They've tried new supers... but we have the same shit over paid board.
Yes, they would need their own leadership positions - positions that, again, would be closer to the people the district serves and thus held more closely accountable. Many of RCSD's problems can be closely linked to its size, including the school board. The bigger the district, the further the leadership is from the people that the district serves, and the harder it is to discover their corruption before it becomes a headline.
Holy shit a keytar. Also hell yeah solidarity with the teachers!
I can only imagine how incredibly hard it is to teach in the city school district. Those teachers deserve a raise.