What's new in Rochester schools for 2024-25? Here's what parents, students need to know

ROCHESTER — Superintendent Annie Azarloza , in her first weeks on the job leading the city's public schools, has already been part of a groundbreaking ceremony for a new elementary school.

Construction has begun for the new elementary school on Salmon Falls Road. It is expected to be ready for use July 1, 2025.

Azarloza began her duties as superintendent on July 1. She replaced former superintendent Kyle Repucci.

Superintendent is working to meet people, including parents and students

"I am still conducting my listening and learning tour since I began in my new role," Azarloza said. "My goal in my first 90 days — and part of those 90 days included May and June as I was transitioning — was to meet one on one with 90 individuals to learn about the district. These included, staff, leaders, parents, community partners, and city officials. This September, as part of my tour, I will have family and community forums, after school educator forums in each of our schools, and a student forum."

Azarloza said her goal in the forums is to learn what is going well in the Rochester School District that should be preserved, and to identify opportunities for improvement.

"Based on what I've learned thus far in my first 90 days (and I will be in learning mode for a while!), I have made a few changes to streamline and increase efficiency, communication, and collaboration among stakeholders," Azarloza said.

When is first day for Rochester schools in 2024-25?

The Maple Street Magnet School opened Aug. 5, earlier than all the other city's public schools, as it does each year. The rest of Rochester's elementary schools (grades K-5) open Aug. 27.

At Rochester Middle School, Grade 6 starts Aug. 27, Grade 7 starts Aug. 28 and Grade 8 starts Aug. 29.

At Spaulding High School, freshmen begin Aug. 27 and all upper classes start Aug. 28.

Will Rochester elementary schools see redistricting of students?

With the closing of the Nancy Loud School last year, Azarloza said, there will be some redistricting of students.

"The redistricting project will begin this fall and our new director of operations, David Rychlik, will be spearheading this project in collaboration with the city," she said. The opening of the new school in the fall of 2025 on Salmon Falls Road is part of a consolidation to six elementary schools in Rochester from a past total of eight.

Who are new faces in Rochester schools?

There is one new principal in the district, Sarah Anderson, at Maple Street School.

"We did not add any new teacher positions," said Azarloza. "We only backfilled positions that were vacated at the end of June (there might have been a couple in the early summer months). When we open the doors to our scholars on August 27, we will have every single classroom teacher filled for the first time in multiple years. This is largely due to the systems and processes we have developed in our human resources division."

Which Rochester schools have new building features?

Azarloza said a new parking lot at Maple Street School was completed last week.

"We are also renovating our music and band room at Spaulding High School," she said. "Our middle school gym will be getting new bleachers."

Why do Rochester schools now have a director of operations?

At the administration level, Azarloza has changed the role and title of one position.

"I've repurposed the director of facilities position and it is now a director of operations," said Azarloza. "This decision was driven by the need to streamline and enhance the efficiency of our district's operational management. The director of operations now oversees not just facilities, but all the different operational aspects of our district, including transportation, food services, safety, IT, and maintenance. This broader scope allows for more cohesive planning, better resource allocation, and a unified approach to supporting our educational mission. By centralizing these functions under one leadership role, we can ensure that all operational areas work in harmony, ultimately creating a more effective and responsive environment for our scholars, staff, and community."

Rochester schools adding director of positive youth development

The district has added a position, director of positive youth development, utilizing its $4 million portion of Juul settlement funds, according to Azarloza. The settlement against the e-cigarette company was the result of successful arguments that the company's marketing targeted youth and created an epidemic of teen addiction to their products.

"And there are strict criteria on what it can be used for," she said. "It's specifically meant to help children make more responsible decisions when it comes to at-risk behaviors (vaping, etc.)."

The new director of positive youth development will be responsible for developing, training, monitoring and refining positive youth development programs designed to encourage positive behaviors, resilience, and leadership among scholars, Azarloza said. The district is working to hire a person for this position, she added.

"They will positively engage scholars in school to address chronic absenteeism and use evidence-based strategies to teach new behaviors in order to help children make more responsible decisions," she said. "We are using a 'train the trainer' model for our new bullying intervention, and our director of (positive youth development) will be our in-house trainer in an effort to address bullying across our district."

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: What's new in Rochester schools for 2024-25? Here's what parents, students need to know