Rochester board forwards revised multicultural education policy language, asks to assign duties to superintendent
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Summary
The Rochester City School District board voted in a work session Jan. 13 to forward revisions to policy 43.50 (multicultural/global education) with modified language directing the superintendent to carry out related efforts; the board agreed to combine elements of two proposed drafts and move the item to the business agenda for a formal vote.
The Rochester City School District Board of Education voted during its Jan. 13 work session to forward revisions to policy 43.50, the district’s multicultural and global education policy, with a modification specifying that the superintendent — not the district generally — will guide implementation.
Board members had been considering two versions: an administration draft that named specific course content and a shorter proposal from Commissioner McCullough. Vice President Malloy said she was "inclined to agree with that recommendation" and several board members favored combining the shorter McCullough wording with language from the administration that lists examples such as African American literature and Latino studies.
Commissioner McCullough said the two drafts “very much say the same thing” and noted the administration’s draft repeats language already present in the policy. President Simmons pushed for a clear assignment of responsibility: "it does need to explicitly say the superintendent who is the person who guides these efforts versus the district." Commissioner Feynman supported McCullough’s shorter wording while urging inclusiveness of additional ethnicities.
After discussion, Vice President Malloy moved to forward policies including 43.50 with the modification replacing "the district" with "the superintendent." Commissioner Feynman seconded the motion and the board approved the motion by voice vote; President Simmons stated the motion carries. Clerk Charisma Travis reminded the board to include the modification wording in the formal motion when the policy returns for first reading.
The change moves the policy language to the business meeting track; the clerk said legal updates on other policies will be presented to the board as they are finalized. The board did not adopt the policy at the work session — members forwarded the proposed language for formal consideration at a subsequent business meeting.