NBC 2, WGRZ.COM (Buffalo, NY)
June 6, 2011
Headline: Opposition To State Takeover Of Buffalo Public School System

By Patrick Moussignac
BUFFALO, NY - Last month there was some talk about New York State taking over the Buffalo School System and that idea has a lot of people talking.

Just this past week Buffalo Superintendent of Schools Dr. James Williams also announced his retirement from his position effective next year, but despite earlier quotes Williams and New York State Regent Robert Bennett say they both oppose a State takeover.

On Sunday Dr. Williams told Channel 2 News, after appearing on the WBEN Radio "Hardline" program, that the State doesn't have the resources. We also talked to State Regent Bennett. Now Bennett says he'd rather see schools identified as "persistently low achieving schools" make use of $2 million in incentive money from the Government to turn themselves around into better performing schools.

Bennett tells us 13 schools in the Buffalo Public School system have been identified by the State at the request of the Federal Government as "persistently low achieving schools."
Currently four of them have already begun the process of improving themselves starting last year while the other 9 will begin later this year. Several initiatives such as improving student attendance, graduation rates, and reducing suspensions are at the core of turning around the school system that serves around 47,000 students.

Dr. Williams says prior State takeovers have failed around the country.

"If you look at research that has not been successful in no school district in the country where that was done. I think the first was tried in Paterson, New Jersey maybe back in the 80's. I think Newark went that route, and Cleveland went that route and its not successful," said Williams.

State Regent Bennett added, "Its beyond Dr. Williams I will say. On the other hand if the school board identifies a person that makes the changes that are needed and guides these turn around initiatives the hope is we don't need a takeover. I don't want a takeover, nobody wants a takeover, but unless the schools turn around that really is the last alternative."

Bennett would like to see Buffalo schools return to neighborhood schools, and to see them used as a community asset because they are public and paid for by taxpayers. A state takeover that he discussed just a month ago would require State legislative action, and Bennett tells us there not much interest in the Legislature to do that.