NY commissioner tells Buffalo to act on 2 schools
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — New York Education Commissioner John King Jr. has ordered the Buffalo school district to offer students at two failing high schools the chance to go elsewhere, telling the superintendent they "have been left educationally abandoned."
"The steps I am taking today are unprecedented in New York state," King wrote in a letter to Superintendent Pamela Brown this week, "but the situation at these schools, which continues to hurt hundreds of students, cannot continue."
East High School's four-year graduation rate has dropped to 28 percent, he said, and the rate is 23 percent at Lafayette High School, which serves a large immigrant and refugee population. The overall graduation rate in upstate New York's largest district is 47 percent, compared to 74 percent statewide.
King denied Buffalo's most recent application to resume federal grant funding for the two schools, saying the schools were not prepared to move forward with a turnaround plan involving partnering with Johns Hopkins University. Both schools are at risk of having their registration revoked, he said, which would effectively shut them down.
The commissioner gave the district until Aug. 12 to make arrangements with the Erie 1 Board of Cooperative Educational Services, known as BOCES, to either let interested students attend a BOCES career and technical education program outside the district, or allow BOCES to take control of the two schools altogether.
"Far too many students have been left educationally abandoned," King wrote, "their futures cast into distress by the poor academic services they have received."
Students also have the right to transfer to other schools within the district but the district has had problems in the past finding seats in good schools for all those seeking transfers.
In a statement released Friday, Brown said she believed the district has positioned the schools for success and welcomed the chance to speak with the state to settle the issue. Johns Hopkins, she said, has been involved with the schools for the past several months.
"Pending final results, I believe that our efforts since January have set the stage for positive achievement in both schools," the statement said.
"We are looking forward to upcoming discussion with the state Department of Education in order to come to a conclusion about how to best achieve student success in East and Lafayette High," Brown said.
BOCES Superintendent Donald Ogilvie said the cooperative, comprising 19 school districts, would be ready to accommodate Lafayette and East students under whatever scenario is ultimately implemented. BOCES currently buses in students from near and far for CTE programs, he said.
"We will adapt and adjust," he said.
Access selected articles, e-newsletters and more!
Viewed
Emailed
Recommended
Commented
Sponsored Whitepapers
• Best Practices in Information Management, Reporting and Analytics for Education
- Principal - Chicago Metro Area West
- The Menta Group, Hillside, IL
- Train Brilliant Math Students
- Art of Problem Solving, San Diego, CA
- Instructional Leadership Director
- ALBANY CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, Albany, NY
- Common Core Literacy Assessment Developer - Part Time
- The Equity Project (TEP) Charter School, New York, NY
- Chief Financial Officer
- Hernando County School Board, Brooksville, FL



We encourage lively debate, but please be respectful of others. Profanity and personal attacks are prohibited. By commenting, you are agreeing to abide by our user agreement.
All comments are public.