Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Cuomo Calls For Legislative Action On Failing Schools

Franklin Montessori School #53 students ask School Board to keep their school open.
WXXI Photo
Franklin Montessori School #53 students ask School Board to keep their school open.

Governor Cuomo's office is out with a report that it says details the crisis of failing schools in New York State.

It appears to be  part of the Governor's efforts to get support for his reform agenda for education.

According to the Cuomo Administration ,the state currently has 178 failing schools, and 15 of those are in Rochester.  Cuomo says more than 10,000 students are enrolled in those Rochester schools, with more than 109,000 in a similar situation statewide.

Cuomo says that while the education bureaucracy demands more state aid, the reality is that school districts with failing schools have on average, seen a nearly 14 percent increase in funding over the last three years, and continued to fail academically.

Local Democratic Assemblyman Harry Bronson says the issues affecting urban districts, like Rochester, include a number of  problems including poverty and lack of parental involvement.

"Instead of asking the public education system to deal with many societal issues, then we should be looking for supportive ways to address those society issues and allowing our educators to focus more on education,” Bronson told WXXI News.

But Bronson says more state aid is important also. He says schools, such as those in Rochester, don't have the funding they need to hire counselors and other personnel who could help deal with these societal issues.

Cuomo wants the state legislature to act on the problem, and he’s proposed a model like one he says worked in Massachusetts where, when a school fails for three years, another school district, or a turnaround expert, must take over the school.

Rochester School Superintendent Bolgen Vargas issued this statement:

"The report released by Governor Cuomo today does not contain new information, but it does remind us of the urgent need to use resources wisely and work aggressively to improve student achievement. That is why we have asked the University of Rochester to manage East High School, recommended closure of Charlotte High School, and assigned new leaders to the three other active high schools on the list, which are executing improvement plans. Five of the seven elementary schools on the list offer students more and better learning time under a nationally proven model, and several of them are beginning to show significant growth. Our Action Plan is taking us in the right direction to remove Rochester schools from Priority lists and have them recognized instead for improved achievement."

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.