ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A new contract for Rochester city school teachers was rejected by the school board.
News10NBC spoke with board members to understand the reasons behind the decision. Commissioner James Patterson voted against the contract, while Commissioner Cynthia Elliot supported it.
Both agreed that Rochester City School District (RCSD) students are not receiving the support they need. “We are the worst performing district in this nation,” Elliot said. Elliot explained her support for the contract, emphasizing the importance of addressing the needs of black and brown children in the district.
“We want to make sure we are talking about black and brown children in this district so we have to work together,” Elliot said.
Patterson expressed concerns about the lack of academic progress, citing data from the New York State Department of Education. The graduation rate for the 2023-24 school year was 63%, and only 11% of students were proficient in reading during the 2021-22 school year.
“How do you reward individuals that are not moving the needle forward,” Patterson said.
Patterson also criticized the contract for not requiring teachers to have lesson plans, which are essential for determining student learning and evaluating teacher performance. He said this has been an ongoing issue with the Rochester Teachers Association (RTA).
“There has to be some concessions when you are in negotiations that was one thing that I thought was important that principals told me, that was a tool that was taken away from them. “There has to be some Patterson said.
Elliot acknowledged the RTA’s role in advocating for teachers, but stressed the need for collaboration to improve academic outcomes.
“Some of us voted in favor of it and I think most of the board was saying the same thing,” Elliot said.
The board is looking to go back to the negotiation table after this vote did not pass 4-3.
AI assisted with the formatting of this story. Click here to see how WHEC News10NBC uses AI.
Rochester school board members explain votes on teacher contract WHEC.com.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Rochester school board members explain votes on teacher contract )
Also on site :