When the Spencerport School Board of Education voted in February of 2015 in favor of the district joining the Urban-Suburban program, some district residents applauded, while others threatened legal action. More than one year later, Spencerport School Superintendent Michael Crumb says despite initial concerns of many residents, the program is going well.
“It has been a wonderful experience for both Urban-Suburban students and our resident students,” Crumb observes. “Truly, the students are Spencerport Rangers now, with no differentiation.
The district welcomed it’s first Urban-Suburban students at the beginning of the 2015/2016 school year. The program brings both minority students and those living in poverty from the Rochester City School District to suburban districts. Currently, Spencerport has 17 Urban-Suburban students – six first graders; five second graders; and six sixth graders.
“I met with the parents of the Urban-Suburban students in December and all were extremely appreciative of the education their child was receiving and the nurturing environment found in our schools,” Superintendent Crumb says. “All the feedback from our school staff has been positive, including how wonderful the students are and how their parents are supportive and participating in the education of their child.”
The Spencerport district plans to continue its participation in Urban-Suburban, Crumb says. “Our teams of principals, teachers and counselors will be screening and interviewing this spring in order to select six first graders and six sixth graders to start in the fall of 2016.” District officials say that is exactly how the continuation of the program was communicated to the community last year.
Jeff Crane is the chairman of the Urban-Suburban Governance Committee. He says he is not surprised that the program is working in Spencerport.
“It worked out as we predicted,” he says. “Change is something that is very difficult, but once the school year starts and kids get into the classrooms, things work out beautifully.”
Crane says the diversity fostered by Urban-Suburban is the best way to prepare students for the future, where they will encounter diversity in the ever-growing global workplace.
He also notes that the debate over Spencerport joining the program helped to move Urban-Suburban forward. The program had previously only been open to minority students.
“The Governance Board focused more on poverty than race for entrance into the program,” Crane says of changes made in the last year. “It led to the review and renewal of our mission statement.”
In the future, Crane says more opportunities will be created for suburban students to take part in opportunities available in the Rochester City School District. “It’s a two-way street,” he says.
The Kendall Central School District is another of several local districts which joined Urban-Suburban in the 2015-2016 school year.
Superintendent Julie Christensen says Kendall has two students – a seventh grader and a third grader who have acclimated well. “The (Kendall) kids have embraced them and their parents are very involved,” she says.
Christensen says despite the distance to Kendall, in Orleans County, the seventh grader is active in extracurricular activities including music and volleyball.
She says superintendents at other districts, which recently joined have said they all feel the first school year has gone well. She is especially impressed with the commitment of Urban-Suburban parents. “They feel they have a responsibility to attend the meetings,” she says.
Jeff Crane agrees. It’s a win-win, he says of the Urban-Suburban program. “Both sides find that to be true after working out the struggles. I’m so glad Julie (Christensen) at Kendall and Mike (Crumb) at Spencerport are reporting success. So are the other districts that recently joined.”
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