Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Parents urge board to preserve bilingual Pre‑K 3 at School 22
Loading...
Summary
Multiple parents and bilingual‑education advocates told the Rochester Board of Education the bilingual Pre‑K 3 at School 22 is a community hub and critical early‑learning pathway; they asked the board to reverse the proposed removal in the preliminary budget.
Jerica Turner, a parent of two Rochester City School District students, told the board the bilingual Pre‑K 3 classroom at School 22 was “a second home” and that its removal would disrupt families who rely on its language access and proximity.
“I am speaking as an invested community member,” Turner said, describing how the bilingual Pre‑K changed her family’s plans and kept her children in the district. Other parents described the program as essential for Spanish‑speaking families and for supporting children who are nonverbal or require stable early connections to school routines.
Mariela Polito Fisher, a bilingual pre‑K teacher with nearly 20 years in the district, said the classroom is more than convenience: it provides early dual‑language exposure that eases kindergarten transitions and reduces language‑related learning gaps. Pablo Sierra, who identified himself as president of the district’s bilingual education council, said School 22’s pre‑K feeds a long‑term goal of biliteracy and builds leadership capacity among bilingual principals and assistant principals.
Speakers urged the board to consider not only short‑term budget arithmetic but the long‑term effects of eliminating a program that parents, teachers and council members said raises graduation and biliteracy prospects. Several speakers asked the board to visit School 22 and see firsthand the parent engagement and continuity that the program supports.
The superintendent reiterated that the budget remains preliminary pending the state budget and encouraged continued advocacy with the state delegation. The board did not take an immediate formal vote during the hearing; the budget remains subject to revision as additional state funding and grants are finalized.
