Rochester, N.Y.- On Tuesday afternoon, the Rochester City School District and Rochester Teachers Association released their proposed recommendations for a new alternative high school in the city.
The board will vote on the plans for the new school on February 16.
The new high school would be located at the Jefferson and Marshall High School campuses and combined, they can accommodate 1,700 students.
RCSD and RTA says the opening of a new high school is an attempt to raise graduation rates in the city.
"Graduation rates are way down and we need improve it," says RTA vice president John Pavone, "If we only continue to do what we’re doing, we’re only going to get the same results. It’s important for us to make changes."
On Tuesday, RTA and RCSD gave a joint presentation on the plans for the new high school.
The greatest difference between their proposal and tradition high schools is the school's hours. It will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the school would be open all year long.
RTA and RCSD claims that one of the main reasons students drop out of high school is because school doesn't fit into their schedules. With the school being open 12 hours a day, the district feels that students who have full-time jobs, or have siblings or children to take care of, can still make it to school.
"You may have a student who only needs to go to school for two credit hours, but works for a full time job," says Sandy Jordan of RCSD. "He can come to school at four in the afternoon."
There will be four buses that shuttle students from the four quadrants of the city. The buses will run routes all day since students will be coming to school at all different hours.
But the new school won't be for just students who are trying to catch up, or for those who are struggling to graduate. The proposal says students who are on-track to graduate would also attend the new school.
"Enrollment will encompass people who need three Advanced Placement classes to students that are 18-years-old and only have 5 credits," says Jordan. "The structure is for all kids."
Under the current proposal, the new high school would offer eight AP classes and more art and music classes for students who want be ahead.
Other proposals for the new high school include:
- Creating a "family of five" where each adult at the school will "adopt" five students to make sure they remember to keep graduation goals in sight.
- Having one counselor and social worker for every 100 students. The district says at high schools now, a social worker takes on 250 cases.
- Embedding clubs and extracurricular activities into the school day.
- Personalizing graduation plans for each student.
- Providing career training in fields like EMT, civil service, 911 call center operator
- Designing students' school schedules to accommodate their specific needs.
- Opening up the cafeteria all day so students can eat when they're hungry.
- Providing teacher office hours daily.
- Providing virtual and online classes.
- Assigning graduation coaches to students.
Students who attend the high school will come from five existing high schools. About 1,200 students who are on-track to graduate will attend Marshall High school campus and 500 students who are not on-track to graduate will go to the Jefferson campus.
Current Franklin High school students will able to finish school at Franklin, but the school will be phased-out and students will attend either Jefferson or Marshall. The Franklin building is being used for the Vanguard Collegiate High School.
Jefferson High School Students who are graduating by 2013 will be allowed to stay at the school. Younger students who are on-track will move to Marshall, and those who are off-track will stay at Jefferson.
Marshall High School students who are on-track will stay at Marshall and those who need extra credit hours will move to Jefferson.
Edison Tech High School students would be allowed to stay and graduate from Edison if they are on-track to graduate, students who are not will move to Jefferson.
Freddie Thomas High school will also be phased-out. Students who are prepared to graduate will go to Marshall, whereas students who are not will move to Jefferson. The building would be used for a new Montessori school.
Students from these five schools who expect to graduate on time can request any other high school in the district, as long as there is space. Those in danger of not graduating will have to attend the new high school.
Brian Haygood has a daughter at Edison Tech High School. He came to Tuesday's meeting after getting a letter from the district saying that his daughter may have to move to the new high school, but since his daughter is on track to graduate, she may not end up changing schools. However, from what Haygood heard at the meeting, he feels the changes and plans may be too ambitious.
"This is overwhelming, all this information at one time," Haygood says. "They’re talking about putting this into effect next[school] year? I think they’re rushing their judgement on this."
Regina McNair's son goes to Freddie Thomas High School and would have to move to the new high school no matter what, according to the proposal. She wonders why the changes are so drastic.
"Why do [these changes] have to be at such a great scale?" she asks. "They should bring these changes to a smaller scale and let them be comfortable in their own schools and see how it works there. Some of the things they are wanting to put into place may very well be conducive to the children graduating, but in such a drastic way? Close down or phase out five city schools?"
RTA and RCSD maintains that these seemingly drastic changes are necessary.
"We believe that this is a positive change," says Pavone. "It’s something that we need. We need to get the students out of the regular environment, get them in a new environment and give them the incentives they need to graduate."
There is no word yet on how much these changes would cost, or save--the district. RTA says that no jobs will be added nor lost because of the new high school.
