Comments at the School Budget Hearing

Primary tabs

This Thursday, the school board held an open hearing on the recently released school budget recommendation. Over 50 parents spoke at the meeting, which lasted for over 2 hours. Below are quotes from the speeches they gave.

JOSH LOFTON

Randolph Pringle

Josh Lofton academy has meant a 2nd chance at life [for me]. When I began attending I had less than a 1.0 GPA. I was lost at my school, [...]which had 1000 students. I was behind in personality and academic skill. What I found
at Josh Lofton was smaller class sizes and compassionate teachers and administrators. I went from not caring about school to being enthusiastic about school. In the past year, I've gone from being a potential drop-out to being one of the few students to graduate an entire year early from school.

Josh Lofton's doors should remain open for students like myself - students who
cannot function in a large school environment. This school was based on a
dream that all students deserve an opportunity to learn. If this school is
closed, you are taking this prospect away from hundreds of students.

Annett McMillan-Hutchinson

Communities talk about small schools, communities talk about schools of
choice, communities talk about school programs. But we at Lofton don't have
to talk about it, because, like the youth says, we're all about it. We're
doing it.

SCHOOL #36

Sheila Myricks-Crawford

I am a resident where school #36 is located. My granddaughter attends the
school where she is involved in the YMCA program. She also does tutoring, at
a neighborhood church, every other Saturday, where her teacher DR smith
participates. I'm very concerned with closing school 36 because it's a
stabilizing factor in my neighborhood. I attended school 36, my children
attended school 36 and now my granddaughter attends school 36.

There are many programs at the school which will be lost if it closes. The
school is involved in the reading excellence program, for kindergarten through
third grade next year it will become the reading one program. Only 4 schools
in the school district have this program and School #36 is the only one in the
north east district. Over $400,000 has been allotted to this program which
will be lost to our children.

I ask the school board if you lived in school 36's neighborhood, would you
allow your children to walk to 45 or #6 school? I'm sure the answer is 'no,'
because of the crime. And I will not allow my granddaughter to walk to either
of those schools. I will register to enroll her to a charter school and the
federal allocated money that goes to the city school district will follow her
to the charter school.

Penny Carter

I've been involved in many of the schools, both in the city of Rochester and
the suburbs. But I'm speaking tonight as a retiree whose volunteering in the
cross-generational emotional literacy project at School 36. I have never been
in a school - this is a true neighborhood school - with a warmth, a feeling of
compassion and tenderness [like I have seen in School #36]. The principal is
everywhere, and known to everyone. The teacher that our group worked with is
extraordinary. She knows every child, she cares for every child, she is
involved with every child to the utmost.

HOME HOSPITAL PROGRAM1>

Dede Ranger

Last year alone we served over 1400 students. If students come to our
department, I need to match the students specialized needs with the unique
qualifications of our teachers. I am able to draw from a pool of teachers
with many different talents. If our teachers are scattered it will greatly
reduce the probability of the student being matched with the most qualified
teacher. To give an example, if a bilingual student comes to our department
for a medical reason, currently I am able to draw from several bilingual
teachers. Under the proposal, those teachers may be placed at various
secondary schools. Their talents would not be available to the home hospital
program. The decentralization of the program would therefore be detrimental
to the population we now serve.

Paula Miller

I am one of those people who is uniquely able to be matched. I was an at risk
student, a teen parent and a welfare mother who made her way through an
education and know the value of an education. I work with young mothers, I
show them what I did. I tell them how proud I am of them. and I tell them
how they too can become the person that I became. Under the new proposal, I
may lose the ability to work with this population.

All of us are dedicated to these students. These kids don't need less, they
need more.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Melissa Nicholson

"I feel like the sheep tonight. We'll have our say and we'll go through the
motions, but the wolves have already made up their minds. Is this the message
we want to send to the students at school #36?

Ivan Ramos (*)

[Humming the Mission Impossible theme between points]

First, allow parents to speak, before you vote on an important issue, even if
you've already made up your mind on how your going to vote. At least go
through the motions, it's good for your image.

Second, when deliberating on the issues that you've already decided previous
to a public forum use your microphone in such a manner that the parents and
others in the audience can clearly hear your words, it's the only thing we
have to go on. And this will give the appearance of your care and
consideration.

Third, release to the public, in full, this alleged private budget that you've
drawn up. Though your slow attorney will protect your interests before our,
this will give the impression that you're involving parents, rather than
acting like those fools in Albany who like to work behind closed doors. It's
good form.

Failure to accept this mission will only make matters worse as your work to
create parent trust in your good will self destruct.

* Unfortunately, I didn't get the start of this speaker's speech on video. I inferred that the speaker's name was Ivan Ramos based on the speakers list and the speakers around him, but I could be wrong.