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Parents urge board to approve Genesee Community Charter School merger to stabilize programming
Summary
At a Rochester City School District public hearing, parents of Genesee Community Charter School students urged the board to support a planned merger that would combine two Genesee campuses and shift authorization to the SUNY trustees beginning in 2025–26, saying it would improve financial stability and programming.
The Rochester City School District held a public hearing Jan. 23 to collect community input on a proposed revision to the charter for Genesee Community Charter School that would merge the organization’s River Campus with its Flower City Campus and leave the merged corporation authorized by the SUNY Board of Trustees beginning in the 2025–26 school year.
Parents Benjamin Clark and Colin Orr spoke in favor of the merger, saying it would stabilize finances, expand access to field-based “expeditionary” learning and support services for students with special needs. “This merger would truly bring some financial stability that we've been looking for,” parent Benjamin Clark said, describing the merged organization as serving about 400 students citywide. Colin Orr said recent state per-pupil funding cuts and rising costs have strained programming and staffing, and that combining budgets and back-office functions would create efficiency and protect small class sizes.
The board’s public materials note the revision is under review by the New York State Education Department. The district’s notice to the public cited Education Law subdivision 2857 and the commissioner’s regulations requiring a public hearing after the district receives notice of a new or revised charter application.
No board action on the revision was recorded at this meeting; the state review is ongoing.
The hearing included staff statements that the proposal would create a single surviving education corporation and transfer authorization to SUNY if approved by the state.
The hearing record will be part of the Rochester board’s submission to the New York State Education Department and the charter authorizers evaluating the merger.
