Noelle Evans

1 week ago | wxxinews.org | Noelle Evans

Local labor unions say they will support University of Rochester PhD students if they strike on Monday. Teamsters representatives with Locals 118 and 317 say that their union members, who deliver packages and supplies to university buildings, will not cross the picket line while the graduate students are on strike. In a letter to UR President Sarah Mangelsdorf this week, Local 118 President Tim Barbeto said the Graduate Labor Union should not have to strike to win the right to be recognized.

1 week ago | wxxinews.org | Noelle Evans

The University of Rochester is joining the Association of American Universities in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Energy. The Department of Energy (DOE) announced a new policy on Friday intended to halt “inefficient spending” at universities. That includes capping funding for facilities and administrative costs at 15 percent. In a memo, the agency says it provides $2.5 billion to more than 300 colleges for federally sanctioned research.

2 weeks ago | wxxinews.org | Noelle Evans

The Rochester city school board entered into its first round of deliberations this week over a proposed $1.1 billion budget for the 2025-26 school year. The district initially projected a significant budget gap of about $38 million. But interim Superintendent Demario Strickland said expected boosts to state funding helped close it. “We still found that we had a slight gap," Strickland said, leading the district to cut more than 130 staff positions.

2 weeks ago | wxxinews.org | Noelle Evans

The Penfield Central School District is reviewing three library books that have been formally challenged. The American Library Association defines challenges as an attempt to remove or restrict materials from a library or curriculum based on someone’s objection. One of those books is "The Rainbow Parade" by Emily Neilson, which was at the center of a heated controversy surrounding the district that was influenced by misinformation shared widely on social media.

2 weeks ago | wxxinews.org | Noelle Evans

The Greece Central School District administration is proposing an estimated $318.5 million budget for next school year. Superintendent Jeremy Smalline said funding priorities were decided based on feedback from community surveys, site visits and conversations with parents, students and staff. “Here are some of the recurring themes that we heard," Smalline said. “Students' needs have changed in our district. Student behavior affects learning. Staffing shortages impact everyone.