Parents, Teachers Rally Outside Rochester CSD Offices ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) - A group of parents and education advocates plan to hand a petition with over 1,500 signatures to members of the Rochester School Board Thursday night -- protesting teacher cuts in the school budget City Council approved this week.

Glenny Williams is with the group Alliance for Quality Education. He says they want the school board to reconsider a budget that cuts more than 180 teacher positions, and that opponents say puts city school arts and music programs in jeopardy.

Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard has said the job cuts will mostly be covered by the normal turnover in city teacher ranks, and few if any will be laid off.

The budget opponents also argue that class sizes will increase. AQE and parents argue that studies show smaller class sizes help student's academic performance.

Actor, dancer, model and educator Thomas Warfield, an East High School grad, says the arts are vitally important for training critical thinking and nurturing creativity in children.

The group is presenting the Rochester Board of Education with the petition when it gathers at Thursday night's school board meeting.

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