Syracuse, NY, is most widely known for its college basketball team and snowy conditions. Now, after receiving 40% of the state’s SIG dollars, the Syracuse City School District (SCSD) is getting attention for changing the education conditions that will come along with $31.5 million to split among seven schools.
When we think about conditions, one of our 3 C’s, we split it into four pillars: people, time, program, and money. SCSD’s plan for these schools, which belong to the district’s Innovation Zone, fit well with these four strategies.
People: Teachers will have the option of staying at the turnaround schools (which includes reapplying for their jobs), or opting out and transferring to another school. This ensures that the teachers within these SIG schools are the ones who most want to be there.
Time: Using the SIG funding, SCSD will provide a stipend for teachers, as they will add 90 minutes to the school day for extra planning time, as well as 10 extra days of teacher training.
Program: The school day for students will be extended by 30 minutes.
Money: Each of the seven schools will receive $4.5 million in SIG funding over the next three years to fund their turnaround.
Other districts in New York State that will receive SIG funding include Buffalo ($22.5m), Yonkers ($13.5m), Rochester ($4.5m), Poughkeepsie ($4.5m), and Troy ($4.3m).
Disclaimer: The STG currently works in partnership with the SCSD and helped design the district’s Innovation Zone.