Rochester School Leaders: 'School Is Ready to Open Next Tuesday'

Before Rochester Community Schools can officially open for learning next week, they need to receive a seal of approval from leaders in the school district.

That's why members of the administration and members of the Board of Education took turns personally touring every school building over the past few weeks. 

In the end, they declared them ready for business.

"Each year, we symbolically certify all buildings as ready to start," said Rochester's Assistant Superintendent for Business Dan Romzek. The tours finished Wednesday.

Romzek said the buildings are in great shape. Board members agreed.

"We're ready to open next Tuesday," Board President Jennifer Berwick said. 

What's new?

 School starts Tuesday. Students and parents will find several changes in Rochester this year. Among them:

• Physical changes: There's a new roof at got new carpet. And a new playground will welcome pre-K students at . 
• Curriculum changes: All-day kindergarten is the most-talked-about change this year: every elementary school has converted to the all-day format.
• Private companies in charge: In the spring, school leaders agreed to . Durham School Services runs the busing. GCA is managing the custodians. Both companies were still hiring for the school year as of Monday.
• New administrators: 

1. Casey Wescott, a former social studies teacher at Adams High School, is the interim assistant principal at Rochester High School. 
2. Donald Maskill, an assistant principal at , is the interim principal at . Maskill replaces Debi Fragomeni, who was named Pre-K through 7th Grade Curriculum Director for the district. 
3. Wendy Darga, an intern assistant principal at , will serve as the interim assistant principal at West. 
4. Eric Kausch, a teacher at Stoney Creek, has been appointed the Assistant Principal intern at Hart.
5. Catherine Kochanski replaces longtime principal Denise Bereznoff at . 
6. And David Harwell was named to the position of 8th Grade through Adult Education Curriculum Director.

• New teachers: In all, about 60 new teachers will be among the new faces in the schools. .

What else?

• Check out the .
• Access kids' teachers and class schedules on MyRCS.com
• And if your kids are planning their first-day-of-school outfits, the long-range forecast calls for a chance of showers with a high of 82.