Nearly all Rochester schools in receivership could be on track to exit the program next year

Rochester, New York – Several Rochester schools are moving closer to leaving the state receivership program, with nearly all of the city schools currently under the designation potentially eligible to exit by the end of the next school year.

Receivership is used by the New York State Education Department for schools that have struggled with low academic performance. The designation is intended to give those schools additional support, including access to certain grants, closer monitoring and other resources aimed at improving student outcomes.

The Rochester City School District currently has seven schools in receivership, according to district and state records. They include Schools 7, 16, 28 and 33, East Lower, Edison Tech High School and Monroe High School. Together, those schools account for roughly 15% of the district’s schools.

The schools have not all been under receivership for the same amount of time. Four were placed into the program in 2019, while two have carried the designation for about a decade. School 7 is the newest addition, having entered receivership last year.

That timeline could soon begin to change. If the schools continue making the required progress, district officials believe it is possible that only School 7 could still be in receivership a year from now. However, administrators have stressed that the outcome is not guaranteed and will depend on continued improvement and the schools’ ability to meet state expectations.

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Dan Hurley, executive director of the district’s Office of School Innovation, told the Rochester school board that the coming year will involve continued monitoring by both district and state officials. The process will also include working directly with educators to determine what additional support individual schools may need.

“We can adjust strategies, provide increased professional learning, or different resources, Central Office supports for those schools,” Hurley said. “Our goal really is sustained, continuous improvement that’s going to enable each school to exit receivership successfully.”

The district’s approach will not simply focus on whether a school meets a single target. Instead, administrators say they want to build improvements that can continue over time, with additional professional development, resources and support available when schools need them.

Superintendent Eric Rosser also told board members that state officials are expected to remain involved throughout the school year. That assistance could include visits to schools as well as virtual support as educators work to improve academic results and meet the requirements for leaving receivership.

“I did receive communication … providing us with assurance of state ed’s support as well as their expectations, outlining the reporting requirements that we have with them. But also outlining that they will be available,” Rosser said.

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Quarterly reports submitted to the state provide a closer look at some of the challenges schools are still working to address. Among the needs identified by several Rochester schools is more equitable access to grade-level content for students with disabilities and multilingual students.

That issue could remain an important part of the work ahead. Providing students with appropriate access to classroom material is one piece of the broader effort to improve outcomes and demonstrate sustained progress.

For Rochester, the possibility of moving most of its receivership schools out of the program would mark a significant change after years of state oversight. Still, district officials acknowledge that the work is ongoing. The coming school year will determine whether the schools can maintain their progress, address remaining challenges and satisfy the state’s requirements for a successful exit.