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RTA Committees
Below are some of the RTA committees and chairpersons that are working for you. NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE* Adam Urbanski, RTA, Chairperson Martha Keating, RTA, Co-Chairperson John Pavone, RTA, Chief Negotiator GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE* Martha Keating, RTA, Chairperson...
read moreAdam’s Update (September 2018)
Colleagues, I hope that you had a good summer break and enjoyed it with family and friends. As we welcome you back to the new school year, we also want to inform you about some salient issues and about our ongoing efforts on your behalf. - Less testing and no more...
read moreDeVos To Make It Tougher For Defrauded Students To Seek Debt Relief
The U.S. Education Department is proposing changes to Obama-era rules that offer debt relief for students who were defrauded by their colleges. If you attended a school that misled you or engaged in misconduct, there's a government program called Borrower Defense to...
read moreA Stitch in Time
Savvy Sew-ers have Third World children on their mind By John Addyman Dresses made by retired teachers in Rochester have reached girls around the world…Cambonian Girls Gaya Shakes was concentrating on getting the hair just right. Behind her, a boom box was gently...
read moreFive justices cannot break the solidarity of America’s unions
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 is a ruthless and brazen attack on the freedom of working people. It caps off a shocking Supreme Court term, which saw the justices threaten the rights of women, LGBTQ people, Muslims, and now public...
read moreAdam’s Update (Summer 2018)
Colleagues, I hope that your summer recess is off to a good start. We, at the RTA, will be addressing several important matters and will occasionally email you to keep you informed. - Sticking with our union. Many of you have received an email from an anti-union and...
read moreJanus decision: What it means in New York, the nation’s most unionized state
ALBANY - The Supreme Court ruling Wednesday that unions cannot collect fees from non-members could have wide implications across New York, which has the nation’s most heavily unionized public sector. Unions in New York derided the groundbreaking decision by the...
read moreTeacher evaluation reform is coming at a price
ROCHESTER, NY (WROC-TV) - The State Senate says it's willing to change up how teacher evaluations work, something teacher unions want, but for a price. New York State's legislative session is wrapping up in days, a priority for teachers and unions is teacher...
read moreNYSUT targets Jacobs following no state Senate vote on teacher evaluation bill
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- In the world of a state legislator, sometimes it's all about, "What have you done for me lately?" New York State United Teachers was very happy with state Senator Chris Jacobs support for a bill decoupling standardized test scores from teacher...
read moreStudent verbal abuse of teachers problematic in BPS
In one Buffalo school, every teacher says students verbally abuse teachers often. BUFFALO, NY - 2 On Your Side is looking into a serious, ongoing issue in Buffalo Public Schools: students verbally abusing teachers. Teachers themselves have told the district the issue...
read moreRCSD gets two new deputy superintendents
The Rochester City School District named a pair of new deputy superintendents Thursday, both veteran district leaders who left and now have returned. School Chief Beth Mascitti-Miller will become deputy superintendent of administration. She replaces Bo Wright, who was...
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After Hurricane Maria: Rochester absorbs more displaced students than other NY districts
Nearly 2,300 students displaced from Puerto Rico have entered New York schools. 559 of those students came to Rochester, the most of any district in the state. Wochit ALBANY - When Hilda Rosario Escher visited her family in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico in November,...
RCSD to reexamine policy, procedures for students with disabilities
ROCHESTER N.Y. -- The Rochester City School District’s Board of Education held a special meeting Thursday evening, following the death of Trevyan Rowe, 14. He was a School 12 student, found in the Genesee River after a four day investigation. Board president Van White...
School board members promise to hold district accountable in Rowe disappearance
The Rochester City School District is under scrutiny after the disappearance and death of 14-year-old student Trevyan Rowe. Eight hours passed between Trevyan's disappearance and the 911 call to report him missing. Rochester School Board members told 13WHAM they do...
Rochester City School District special education chief abruptly quits position
by Justin Murphy Rochester City School District special education chief Theresa Wood quit abruptly Monday, just two months after assuming leadership of the district's most urgent area of need. RCSD hired Wood effective Dec. 1, luring her out of retirement from...
RCSD announces ‘Path Forward,’ floats Urban-Suburban SOTA elementary
by Justin Murphy| The Rochester City School District Thursday unveiled a sweeping set of proposals that would rearrange the academic careers of future city children and move toward a more equitable distribution of students, both inside the district and among its...
Educators file amicus brief with Supreme Court in Janus v. AFSCME
By NEA TweetShareGoogle+Email Commentary: WASHINGTON — The National Education Association and the American Association of University Professors submitted an amicus brief today with the Supreme Court in the case of Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31. The National Right to...
Gates-Chili parents pushing for cameras in classrooms
From WHEC.com Cameras are everywhere, but should they be in school classrooms? A Gates-Chili couple is fighting for legislation to make cameras in every classroom across the state mandatory. Ted and Jenna Wolfley believe cameras are the only way to help vulnerable...
DeVos signs off on Maryland education plan opposed by Maryland Govenor Hogan
By The Associated Press In this Sept. 7, 2017, file photo, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos speaks at George Mason University Arlington, Va., campus. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has approved Maryland’s...
RCSD allowing All City high school students to move locations amidst protests
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Students and parents from Rochester Prep and All City high school, concerned over the presence of Trichloroethene, have successfully pushed the two schools to move locations. After parents and students learned of the presence of a chemical called TCE...
Rochester Prep to leave St. Paul site; RCSD may follow by Justin Murphy
Rochester Prep High School students protest toxics and rusty water in their school outside the Rochester City School District office on Broad Street. They say the school district knew about the poor building conditions. UPDATE 9:36 A.M. FRIDAY: Rochester Prep...
Rochester schools remain short-staffed, under-trained in special education by Justin Murphy
Three weeks into this school year, special education reviews and paperwork were backing up in Rochester schools after the district failed to adequately train administrators on a new, important set of responsibilities. Children with special needs weren't getting the...
Give Teachers a Voice in Education Reform
Four principles for a more robust public education system By Adam Urbanski, Tom Alves & Ellen Bernstein November 14, 2017 Commentary In the cluttered world of education ideas, often the most strident or well-funded voices get the most attention. Over the last two...
Read more“Scope of problem and long lasting effects. Child abuse and neglect constitute a threat to the health and well-being of our most vulnerable population: children.”
Dinolfo to provide more child abuse prevention funds
by Meaghan M. McDermott, @meagmcPublished 1:56 p.m. ET Nov. 13, 2017 | The most effective way to combat child abuse is to prevent it from happening at all. That's the rationale behind a push by a coalition of local faith leaders, physicians, parents and child...