The Buffalo Public School District turned another corner Friday to improve struggling city schools and low student performance.
“I am college bond. I am exceptional because I work hard at it every day. I commit to attend school every day to learn and to grow,” recited students at the Marva J. Daniel Futures Academy #37 Community School.
Returning some city schools back to their communities and neighborhoods could be the key to a student’s future success. That is what the Buffalo Public School District is hoping will occur.
Friday students stood on the front steps of Futures Academy on Carlton Street in the city’s Fruit Belt neighborhood in the shadow of Buffalo Niagara Medical Corridor. Futures has been deemed a struggling city school, but it is now in the process of a turnaround to improve student performance as it officially becomes one of 13-new community schools.
The school is being revamped as a 'Full Service Opportunity Center' for students and families. The school will now provide improved academics, one-on-one-computers, open two Saturday's a month to provide both student and parent learning sessions and offering adult education.
“We will also open up this beautiful building on Saturdays as well. Two Saturdays a month, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon," said David Mauricio, Chief of Strategic Alignment and Innovation for the district. “The parents will go on one side of the building and engage in parent learning and the students will go on the other side of the building and engage in student learning.”
Funding will be provided for academics.
“We will also have adult education learning, two hours a week for two days,” said Dr. Mauricio.
The community schools are part of Buffalo Schools Superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash’s New Education Bargain with Students and Parents. The community schools are a key component in the strategic plan to serve students and families in their neighborhoods.
“Now let me be real clear everyone and unequivocal, this is not easy work, this is difficult work. This is one of the heaviest lifts I’ve been associated with and I’ve been around for 35-years,” declared Dr. Cash.
Cash pointed out that 90-percent of Buffalo school children have extraordinary needs. He said those must be resolved before you can improve educational outcomes and the community schools provide the proper model for student success.
“It’s going to be from Futures to Princeton – game over –game over, beautiful young people,” stated Dr. Cash.
Pointing to the Buffalo Medical Campus, Cash noted it will also play a role in community support to its neighbor, the Future Academy and its students.
Cash quoted one of his favorite quotes from Michelangelo. “I saw the angel in the marble, and I carved until I set it free,” said Cash. “It is representative of what we are doing. We are carving as a community until we set them free and help them realize their dreams,” said Dr. Cash.
State Assembly woman Crystal Peoples Stokes of Buffalo was the ‘hero’ of Friday’s reopening of the community school. Peoples Stokes was instrumental in declaring Buffalo’s share in the state’s Community School Initiative.
“Let me bring up the star today,” said Superintendent Cash as he introduced the Assembly woman.
“I will give credit to Speaker Heastie, who heard me at least 20 times, on a regular basis say the same thing in conference. We’ve got to fund community schools, we’ve got to get wrap-around services in schools. We can’t keep blaming poverty on children’s inability to learn. We’ve got to fix those poverty issues,” said Peoples Stokes.
State Senator Tim Kennedy of Buffalo also appeared at Futures Academy to celebrate the restart of the school. Kennedy noted this year state lawmaker’s secured $25-billion, a record amount, across the state for education that included the community schools funding.
“I believe the most transformation initiation that we were able to accomplish this year, the Community School Initiative, was funded $175-million state wide, $12.5 million at least coming into the for city of Buffalo, allowing schools like Futures Academy, here, to get services that they’ve never been able to get before,” said Kennedy.
New York State Regents Representative for Western New York, Catherine Collins of Buffalo, noted the importance of parental involvement in the new community schools.
“Parents will be keenly involved in our community schools and that’s a real plus” said Collins.
Buffalo School Board Member Barbara Seals-Nevergold is a former Futures Student.
“When I was in sixth, seventh and eighth grade I walked these halls. I graduated from this school. I lived down the street, so this is like coming home – this is a homecoming for me,”
UB's Urban professor Dr. Henry Taylor has worked Future's students on community gardens. They developed the gardens in a vacant lot directly across the street from their school building, empowering students to change what they say when they enter and leave their school each day.
Taylor has high hopes for students, and like Cash made a Princeton reference.
“When these kids complete their long journey to Princeton, my daughter, who teachers there, will greet them, and she is, by the way, a graduate of Bennett High School,” declared Dr. Taylor.
