Say Yes Buffalo continues to play a key role in supporting new services in the city school district. WBFO's senior reporter Eileen Buckley says those services were outlined at Wednesday Say Yes Community Leadership Council Meeting.
The leader of the Buffalo Public School District delivered highlights of his education bargain. Dr. Kriner Cash discussed the importance of 'rigorous, early elementary education’. He explained how the district is creating new community schools and innovation high schools.
Say Yes Buffalo Executive Director David Rust said his organization is working with the district to help provide the personnel at community schools and for extended learning.
“The program directors, some zone leaders, community schools coordinators will help ensure that kids are getting access to all these new programs, students that need help are enrolling into them. Then measuring the data for the big investment that we’re making, so it’s exciting growth I think it’s great. Our buildings are going to be open until 7 p.m. multiple days a week now, on Saturdays. We have these beautiful structures and now they’re going to be open and available to students and to parents," explained Rust.
The District continues to work to improve a student's learning experience. By October 17th all Buffalo Public schools will have after school programs.
“I don’t know another city in the country that has a two-hour, quality extended learning time opportunity for all our children, run by quality community-based organizations that have done this work for a long time. And if you think about a student that’s in third grade right now, what two hours a day until the time they graduate high school means in terms of their preparedness, their preparedness to graduate high school, the colleges they’re going to be able to access through the Say Yes scholarship, the long term benefits of this investment are extraordinary and the district should really be applauded for making a huge financial investment in this programming," explained Rust.
A framework for the afterschool program is based on academic needs. Art, music, science along with health and recreation will be part of the afterschool program.
