Rosser’s Challenge: Will He Break the Cycle or Repeat It?

As reported by Minority Reporter, “the final in a series of Community Conversations designed to foster open dialogue and build connections with students, families, staff, and community members took place at School No. 33” on August 23, 2025.

Howard Eagle

I attended, but had to leave early (wasn’t feeling well). Still, I made sure to share my two cents with Superintendent Rosser. In fact, I told him I was basically repeating what I had said during the two previous conversations — one at Loretta Johnson Middle School (April 5, 2025) and another at Freddie Thomas Middle School (May 27, 2025).

What I said then — and now — is this: Some of us in the community were encouraged to hear the Superintendent acknowledge that maximizing academic opportunities requires building serious, deep-seated, ongoing, broad-based relationships between school, home, and community. On that point, we are in total agreement.

But I also emphasized: if these relationships are going to be impactful — in concrete, measurable, lasting ways — they cannot be limited to the “usual suspects.” By that I mean the same circles: leaders from the largest Black churches, not-for-profits, politicians, and business people. Instead, it is vital to involve people from some of RCSD’s most challenged and challenging homes and neighborhoods. Otherwise, we will simply recycle the deep-seated, entrenched status quo we’ve been watching for decades — with the exception of the mid-1960s.

I acknowledged that Dr. Rosser has officially been on the job less than two months, and we respect that. But I also noted: so far, we don’t see anything fundamentally different from what we’ve seen in the past (again, excluding the mid-1960s).

So here’s our concrete suggestion, one we’ve put forward before: If these relationships are truly to be built, there must be a leadership mechanism focused on the task. Call it a task force, standing committee, or something else — but it must exist. Such relationships will not happen by osmosis, or by wishing, hoping, or even praying. They will only come from intentional, consistent, strategic action.

In response, the Superintendent said his administration is “working on establishing a framework” to lead to greater engagement among school, home, and community.

We take that seriously. And those of us who have been in this struggle for years stand ready, willing, and able to participate.

The Struggle Continues…

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Howard Eagle is a longtime educator and local anti-racism advocate, known for his campaigns for the Rochester school board and prolific political and social commentary. Eagle taught social studies in the RCSD for 23 years, before retiring in 2010, and was an adjunct professor in the Department of African American Studies at SUNY Brockport for 19 years before retiring in 2020.