Buffalo schools are struggling to find room for students seeking to transfer into the district's better-performing schools. But there is the possibility of easing the shortage with the help of suburban schools.
Federal law allows children to transfer out of failing schools to schools which are meeting standards.
The problem in Buffalo is that there are few regular schools which are meeting goals for kids to transfer into and a lot of bad schools which parents would like their kids to transfer out of.
The only criteria schools like City Honors routinely meet standards and transfer in isn't an option for most.
Parent activist Samuel Radford says thinning-out suburban schools could be an answer.
"If we got those few schools that are in good standing, that we can't just continue year after year to condemn children to go to failing schools. We have to sit down and honestly have a conversation as a community. That say where are the schools?," said Radford, "Where are the seats in good standing at?are they in charter schools? Are they in private schools? Are they in suburban schools? And let's have a real conversation about what we do to get kids into those seats."
Schools Superintendent Pamela Brown has extended to September 21 the deadline for transferring after the original process fell apart.
