Board, Brizard sign contract
 

The Rochester Board of Education and Jean-Claude Brizard have agreed to a three-year contract naming Brizard Superintendent of Schools. He is expected to begin work in the District the first week of January, 2008.

 “I am thrilled to be here and am looking forward to all the good we can do together as a community,” Brizard said. Board of Education President Domingo Garcia signed Brizard’s contract following the Board’s Business Meeting on November 29. “I believe the Board has found an inspiring and effective leader for the District,” Garcia said.

Brizard is the Senior Executive for Policy and Sustainability with the New York City Department of Education. He was previously the Department’s Region 6 Superintendent, supervising 100 Kindergarten-Grade 12 schools with 100,000 students. Region 6 students made gains in Grades 3-8 math and ELA scores; Brizard also established a GED-Plus program, an afternoon program for high school students at risk of dropping out, and worked to remove two schools listed as “persistently dangerous” from the state’s list. He was also the Executive Director for Secondary Schools in NYC, Region 8 Instructional Superintendent, a high school principal, a physics teacher, and a junior high science teacher. He has taught physics at the college level. As Region 8 leader, he spurred 232 new small schools in 4 years.

The Board’s contract with Brizard calls for a $215,000 annual salary. Any increases in the second and third years will be based on the Urban Consumer Price Index and Brizard’s evaluation by the Board of Education. “We are comfortable that the salary is appropriate for a District of this size,” Garcia said, noting that the other “Big 5” school district salaries range from $175,000 to $250,000. The New York State “Big 5” districts are Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, Yonkers and New York City. Superintendent salaries in Monroe County range up to a high of $207,800. (Salary information is from the New York State Education Department for 2006-07.) The Rochester City School District is the third-largest in New York State.

Brizard will follow Interim Superintendent William Cala and be the permanent replacement for Dr. Manuel Rivera, who left the District in May to work with Governor Elliot Spitzer. Brizard and Cala will work together on a transition plan for the District.

The vote to approve Brizard’s contract (Resolution 2007-08: 355) was 7-0. For a complete copy of the contract, click the link below.

Brizard Contract

 
 
Increasing student achievement primary goal of search process

 

By Malik Evans, Chair

Superintendent Search Committee

The Rochester Board of Education is charged, by statute, with the responsibility of appointing the superintendent of schools. The Board is committed to fulfilling that duty with as much public input as is practical. We have already acquired, in fact, reams of information about what the community wants to see in our next superintendent. This data was gathered through a public survey and community forums conducted from January well into the spring of this year. It has been supplemented by individual commissioners’ ongoing contact with constituents, through press reports, and opinions aired at Board meetings.

We are doing our utmost, individually and collectively, to weigh the opinions and interests of 220,000 residents; our 33,000 students and their parents; and our approximately 6,000 employees. The community has said it wants a superintendent who is energized by the challenges facing a large urban school district, who possesses the knowledge and leadership skills required to improve student achievement, who will focus financial and other resources effectively, and who will attract and retain excellent teachers. This is what the Board wants as well. Ideally, we also need someone who can oversee a multi-million dollar facilities modernization project and continue the important work on the Rochester Children’s Zone initiated by former superintendent Dr. Manuel Rivera. The Board believes that if these qualities are inherent in the next superintendent, he or she will be able to build on and expand the community confidence momentum begun by Interim Superintendent Dr. William Cala.

And speaking of Dr. Cala: The Board absolutely agrees with those who laud his efforts to date. Understand, however, that Dr. Cala’s role as interim allows him the freedom to be decisive and surgical when making choices regarding how the district will be run; this is what the Board wanted when we hired him in the first place. An interim vying for the permanent position may have quickly found himself or herself hamstrung by the politics inside and outside of Central Office. Dr. Cala has done a wonderful job and the Board is grateful to him for saying he is willing to stay until we find a suitable replacement. In addition, we hope Dr. Cala will remain with us through a transition period even though he has stated unequivocally on several occasions that he is not a candidate for the permanent position.

The Board fully intends to bring finalists to the community prior to making its decision. It would be premature to do so at this moment, when we expect our finalist pool to expand in the second phase of our search. One has only to look at how our current finalists fared recently to see why candidates are so zealous regarding their privacy. The Board committed to confidentiality, in at least the preliminary parts of the search, in order to attract the most qualified individuals. Compare the recent searches in Los Angeles, Providence, San Diego, and Philadelphia -- where confidentiality was promised and whose search attracted sitting superintendents from districts of comparable sizes -- to searches in Denver, Pittsburgh and Cleveland, which did not promise confidentiality and to which no sitting superintendents from similar urban districts applied. While the Board is not wedded to the idea that our next superintendent must have already held the position previously, it would certainly be helpful.

The search firm selected by the Board has also come under scrutiny. A recent editorial decried our search firm, putting forth the idea that a new firm or a community committee should undertake a new search similar to the one used in Providence, RI. This is ironic in light of the fact that our search firm also conducted the Providence search using many of the same protocols, including confidentiality for candidates. The Board has confidence in our search firm and in our own process, which will continue as follows: Ongoing gathering of community input; continued examination of candidates to determine finalists; and, at the appropriate time, introduction of finalists to the community.

There is something, however, that the Board will not do. We will not become bogged down in rumor and innuendo designed to sabotage candidates, or our process, by special interest groups. We will keep the 220,000 residents, 33,000 students and their parents, and our 6,000 employees foremost in mind as we continue the superintendent search. What truly matters is increasing student achievement and the Board will select the superintendent who can best demonstrate the capacity to accomplish that goal. On this, I believe we can all agree.

 
The Rochester Superintendent Search Process
 

by Edward K. Hamilton

Hamilton, Rabinovitz & Associates

The superintendent of a sizeable city school district holds one of the toughest jobs in America. To find the right Superintendent for Rochester, the Board of Education engaged our firm to assist in a comprehensive national search process which has proven itself in major urban districts from Boston to Los Angeles and around the country.

First, the Board sought and listened to public opinion as to what it should be looking for. It sponsored numerous public forums. It directed me to conduct 20 interviews with leading parent, teacher, business, labor, government, community and academic leaders. It commissioned a systematic written (20,000 questionnaires) and online survey asking respondents to assign relative priority to each of 32 desirable qualities, abilities and types of experience which a new Superintendent might bring. The results of all this outreach were then used to shape the qualifications stated in the Position Description the Board approved.

I then signed nearly 5,000 personal letters, attaching the Position Description, to targeted individuals across the nation seeking applications or nominations of others. Every Superintendent of a sizeable school district received one, as did many Deputy and Area Superintendents. So did all the State education commissioners, hundreds of heads of education non-profits and foundations which fund public education; the heads of many parent, community and advocacy organizations; hundreds of college and university presidents and Deans of education schools; a broad sample of corporate CEOs and executives in charge of employee education; a substantial sample of senior military officers, both active and retired; the heads and officers of both national teachers unions, etc., etc. Meanwhile, the position was advertised in the Democrat & Chronicle, the New York Times, Education Week, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, About Time Magazine, and the City Newspaper and was posted on the District’s website and several other websites specializing in senior job announcements.

Personal conversations with every nominee produced a pool of about 80 candidates. Board members then reviewed information on each before holding a weekend session to winnow the pool down to those to be invited to a screening interview with me. There were 25 such invitees, of whom 16 ultimately accepted. I interviewed each in his/her home location and the Board then convened on another weekend to receive my detailed interview reports and decide which candidates they would invite to meet with them.

Eight individuals were extended such invitations. Two unexpectedly declined, both sitting Superintendents in districts comparable to Rochester in size. The Board met for another full weekend to interview the other six and selected two for a second interview. These interviews have now been held and, while maintaining active interest in the people it has already seen, the Board is considering its next step in light of the appearance of several new candidates who were not available earlier in the search.

We will continue to serve the Board as it carefully and thoughtfully moves forward to select the next Rochester Superintendent.

 
 
Search Process Enters Second Stage

The two finalists for Superintendent of the Rochester City School District will remain in the running while the Board of Education continues its local and national search for a permanent replacement for Dr. Manuel Rivera.

"We have narrowed the field through the first round and are now prepared to move on with stage two, during which time we will consider additional candidates," said Search Committee Chair Malik Evans, Board Vice President. Evans anticipates the same process for the additional candidates as was used for the first round; a paper review, extensive background check, and interviews with the Board. Once all the finalists are identified, they will be introduced at a public forum with the greater community. Dates and details regarding the forum have not been determined but will be heavily publicized.

"This is a fluid process. While we had hoped to have a superintendent named by September 1, we have confidence in our interim superintendent," Evans said, noting that Dr. William Cala has said he will continue in his current role as long as the Board needs him but has emphasized that he is not interested in the permanent position.

Evans did not specify a timeline for the final selection process. "This is one of the most critical decisions the Board is charged with, and we will not rush the process we outlined nearly a year ago," Evans said.

The Board will continue to work with the national search firm of HR&A, which has been paid approximately $100,000 to date for its work. The contract with HR&A stipulates that its work will continue until the Board is satisfied with a candidate and has a Superintendent in place. "HR&A's work will continue indefinitely at the original contract price," Evans said.

 
 
Board of Education taps William Cala for Interim Superintendent

The Rochester Board of Education has selected Dr. William Cala for the post of Interim Superintendent of the Rochester City School District. Cala is an educational activist and former Fairport Schools superintendent.

“We had an exceptional field of candidates. Dr. Cala stood out because of his extraordinary commitment to children and the fresh perspective he will provide,” said Board Vice President Malik Evans, who chairs the Superintendent Search Committee.

Cala is president of “Joining Hearts and Hands, Ltd.,” a non-profit organization working to fight AIDS and poverty in Kenya. “Joining Hearts and Hands” is rebuilding schools and providing scholarships for secondary school students in villages in the Lake Victoria area of Kisumu, Kenya. He retired from Fairport Schools in 2006 to guide the fledgling organization full-time. Among the organization’s accomplishments are completion of a new school building, establishing health clinics, providing school uniforms for orphans, purchasing textbooks and supplies, and granting 35 four-year scholarships so students could attend high school.

“His goal-oriented leadership is remarkable and will serve the District well while he is with us,” Evans said. Cala will remain with the District through the selection of a permanent replacement for Dr. Manuel Rivera, who is leaving the District April 30 to work with Gov. Elliott Spitzer.

A vocal critic of the federal No Child Left Behind Act and high-stakes testing, Cala has championed the challenges faced by English Language Learners and disadvantaged students. “Nationally and statewide in New York, we have heard the empty phrases ‘Leave no child behind’ and ‘The poor of our cities must be afforded the same high standards as our suburban schools.’ So far, the only equality for all that we are experiencing is the equality of the same test. Equality of curriculum, financial aid, remedial help and social programs is nowhere to be found,” Cala wrote in a national educational journal.

In 2004, Cala was honored by Phi Delta Kappa International, which presented him with the Presidential Award for Exceptional Educator Leadership. He also received the George Eastman Award for Courage and Leadership in Public Policy from the Center for Governmental Research, The Genesee Valley Peacemakers Award of 2006 and the Willie Lightfoot Youth Advocate Award of 2006.

“We are confident that Dr. Cala’s exemplary leadership skills are precisely attuned to the role of interim superintendent,” Evans said

 
 
Advertising for new Superintendent begins
 
The Rochester Board of Education has begun advertising the position in national and local publications. Click here to download a copy of the advertisement.

 
Residents voice opinions regarding next Superintendent

 

Download

Survey Summary

by clicking here.

 

Download Position Description by clicking here.

Parents and residents of the Rochester City School District want the next Superintendent of Schools to be familiar with urban issues and be able to manage resources wisely, improve student achievement, and provide the best possible teachers for students. Those top four attributes were identified through 1,596 surveys returned to the Board and completed by parents, staff members, and community members. Those participating in the survey were asked to rank each of 32 attributes on a scale of 1 (least important) to 5 (greatest importance). With the highest possible average being 5, the following four all received a score of at least 4.5:

 

  • Familiarity with the crucial issues facing an urban school district.
  • The ability to state clearly how improvements in District performance will be made and measured with respect to using money and other resources effectively and accountably.
  • The ability to state clearly how improvements in District performance will be made and measured with respect to improving student achievement.
  • The ability to state clearly how improvements in District performance will be made and measured with respect to attracting and retaining excellent teachers.

The top four attributes consistently scored highest among all respondents as a group, as well as when broken down by individual subgroups of parents, staff, and community members. Other top identified attributes, with scores of between 4 and 4.5, were:

  • Provide effective instructional leadership;
  • View parents as equal/accountable partners and promote programs to educate parents in helping their children;
  • Speak effectively and advocate for the District and possess the ability to stand up to powerful individuals and interest groups;
  • Use resources to improve classroom conditions;
  • Inspire stakeholders;
  • Advance safety;
  • Involve parents and community leaders in schools;
  • Assemble effective management team and hold it to high standards;
  • Attract and retain excellent administrators;
  • Ensure graduates are ready for employment or college;
  • Meet the needs of special education students;
  • Reduce achievement gaps;
  • Demonstrate fairness and consensus-building.

Two community forums conducted by the Board’s Superintendent Search Committee in January will complement the written data gathered through the written survey. In addition, the Superintendent Search Committee is reaching out to organizations to gather input. All of the information collected will be used to build a profile of the next Superintendent. That profile will be used as a benchmark as the Board screens candidates.

Board Vice President Malik Evans, who chairs the Superintendent Search Committee, is hopeful that at the end of the process, the new superintendent and the profile will be as equivalent as possible. “We are going to do our best to ensure that the qualities the community has identified -- and that we value as a Board -- are reflected in the new Superintendent. We are gratified by the number of people who responded, either to the survey or in person.”

 
Community Forums January 3 and 11, 2007
 

The Board of Education will host Community Forums on Wednesday, January 3 and Thursday, January 11, 2007. Both events will begin at 6 p.m., with the January 3 forum at East High School and the January 11 forum at Wilson Foundation Academy. These forums will provide community members with an opportunity to address the issue in person with Board members. Information from the forums will also be used to create the profile of the next superintendent. Additional forums are being planned for February 2007 that are intended to keep the community informed on the process and to gain feedback from stakeholders.

 
Community being formally surveyed through January 19, 2007
 

ROCHESTER -- A survey gauging the qualities sought in a new Superintendent of Schools is being taken by the Board of Education of the Rochester City School District. Approximately 10,000 copies of the survey were mailed today and the survey is available online at www.rcsdk12.org. Copies of the survey will also be made available at various community locations. When the mailing is complete, a total of approximately 17,000 surveys will be distributed. The deadline for the surveys to be completed is Friday, January 19, 2007.

Results will be compiled and used to create a profile of the District’s next Superintendent; the Board of Education is already working with the national search firm Hamilton, Rabinovitz and Alschuler to find a replacement for Dr. Manuel Rivera, who has announced his retirement effective July 2007. Although the full Board of Education will select the next superintendent, the ad hoc search committee leading the process includes Board Vice President Malik Evans and Commissioners Thomas Brennan and Cynthia Elliott.

The survey asks respondents to rate the importance of several characteristics on a scale of 1 to 5. Answers will gauge the importance of leadership qualities, student achievement expertise, communication skills, management experience and other traits. The survey includes 22 questions and is available in English and Spanish.

The Board of Education will also host Community Forums on Wednesday, January 3 and Thursday, January 11, 2007. Both events will begin at 6 p.m., with the January 3 forum at East High School and the January 11 forum at Wilson Foundation Academy. These forums will provide community members with an opportunity to address the issue in person with Board members. Information from the forums will also be used to create the profile of the next superintendent. Additional forums are being planned for February 2007 that are intended to keep the community informed on the process and to gain feedback from stakeholders.

“This process is a critical one for our community and the Board is committed to providing opportunities for input,” Evans said.

 

Board of Education names Superintendent Search Firm
 

The Rochester Board of Education last night selected Hamilton, Rabinovitz & Alschuler, Inc. to conduct the search for a replacement for Superintendent of Schools Manuel J. Rivera.

“We received several excellent responses to our Request for Proposals for a search firm. HR&A stood out for its commitment to aggressively seeking the highest quality candidates,” said Board Vice President Malik Evans, who is chairing the Board’s ad-hoc Superintendent Search Committee. The Board solicited proposals from approximately 200 area and national firms.

HR&A has a demonstrated knowledge of urban public education systems and experience in searches for major public school systems across the country, including Boston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Philadelphia.

HR&A is expected to begin the search in early December. The Board anticipates naming a new Superintendent prior to Dr. Rivera’s retirement at the end of July, 2007. In addition to Commissioner Evans, the Superintendent Search Committee includes Commissioners Thomas Brennan and Cynthia Elliott. “We have a committee but all Board members are encouraged to participate; selecting a new superintendent is one of our most important tasks as a Board,” Commissioner Evans said.

 
Malik Evans chairing search committee
 

Board of Education Vice President Malik Evans chairs the ad hoc Superintendent Search Committee appointed by President Domingo Garcia on Wednesday, October 11. Joining Evans are Commissioners Thomas Brennan and Cynthia Elliott. Superintendent of Schools Manuel Rivera has announced his retirement effective July 2007.

“This committee will guide the process but the entire Board will select the new superintendent,” Evans said. The committee’s first task is to recommend a recruiting firm to the full Board. That solicitation process is underway; letters to area and national firms were mailed on Friday, October 13. “This is a high-profile district and we’re confident that we’ll have an excellent slate of firms to choose from,” Evans said.

The Requests for Proposals are to be returned by the end of October. The committee will select firms to interview and make a recommendation for approval by the full Board at its November business meeting. The search process is expected to begin before the end of November.

Community-wide forums are planned to gain input into what qualities Rochester City School District stakeholders want to see in a new superintendent of schools. The superintendent of schools reports directly to the Board of Education and oversees all facets of the District -- from operations to curriculum to technology. “I cannot over-emphasize the importance of the decision to select a new superintendent. This will be a thorough but timely process. We hope to have a new superintendent selected by early spring,” Evans said.

The community forums, as soon as they are scheduled, will be advertised via the Board’s website, press releases and flyers. “We plan to provide a format that will allow all stakeholders to be heard,” Evans said.