Rochester school board members signed off Monday on proposals for two new high schools, but as enrollment in the city declines, the move means closing old ones.
As state and federal governments push for quick closure of failing schools, the decision to open the new schools — supported by nearly $1 million in public and private grants — likely locks the district into phasing out at least two schools starting this fall. Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard said it could be as many as five.
At a meeting to discuss the proposals, Brizard told board members that the new schools' costs will be absorbed easily into the district's budget.
"Most of the funding is going to come internally," Brizard said. "We anticipate, of course, closing schools to replace these schools. We intend to hopefully operate fewer facilities."
Early College High School, a partnership between the district, St. John Fisher
College and Monroe Community College, will be designed with input from the Asia Society, a national nonprofit with school planning experience.
The early college model, which allows studentsto earn as many as 20 college credits during high school, was the subject of