State Education Department Appoints Dr. Shelley Jallow as Monitor for the Rochester City School District

New York State Education Department Interim Commissioner Shannon Tahoe today announced the appointment of Dr. Shelley Jallow as the State Monitor for the Rochester City School District. Recently enacted legislation requires the Commissioner to appoint one monitor for both academic and fiscal issues. Dr. Jallow has decades of experience in school district turnaround and leadership operations. As Monitor, Dr. Jallow will provide oversight, guidance and technical assistance related to the educational and fiscal policies, practices, programs and decisions of the school district, the Board of Education and the superintendent.

“Bold solutions are needed to address the systemic problems that have plagued Rochester City Schools for decades and to achieve educational equity for the children there,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa said. “Under Dr. Jallow’s oversight and with the leadership of new superintendent Dr. Myers-Small, the Board of Regents and I believe the district has a real opportunity for a fresh start and a chance to build on recent advancements, if district leaders choose to work cohesively and constructively to make their students the priority.” 

“Dr. Jallow is an experienced leader who has successfully led school improvement efforts at the state, district, and school level, and we are fortunate to bring her innovative style to Rochester,” Vice Chancellor T. Andrew Brown said. “I believe Dr. Jallow’s deep commitment to students will prove to be a vital asset, guiding her in her duties as Monitor, and that she will increase transparency in the community and serve as an objective moderator for the Board and superintendent.”

“Both Dr. Jallow and Dr. Myers-Small have deep personal connections to the Rochester community that will be exceptionally valuable in bringing meaningful change to the Rochester City School District,” Regent Wade Norwood said. “I believe that our community and its city school students will benefit from the rebuilding and healing the new leadership and changed governance that these two accomplished educators bring.  My colleagues and I are committed to ensuring that education transformation comes to Rochester.”

“We are committed to continuing our work to ensure stability and a brighter future for the students of Rochester, and Dr. Jallow’s appointment is the next important step in that recovery,” Interim Commissioner Tahoe said. “The Board and Superintendent Myers-Small, engaging with the RCSD community, must work collaboratively with Dr. Jallow to address district deficits, both academic and financial. We’re grateful to the Governor and Legislature for including monitor legislation and critical funding for Rochester in this year’s budget to help address the unprecedented fiscal issues that led to layoffs and massive cuts to services.”   

Rochester Monitor Duties

Under legislation included in the Enacted Budget, the Rochester Monitor oversees academic and fiscal issues. Dr. Jallow will be a non-voting ex-officio member of the board of education, entitled to attend all meetings of the board including executive sessions.

Among other duties, the monitor will work with the district’s shared decision-making committee in developing the financial plan, academic improvement plan, district goals, implementation of district priorities and budgetary recommendations. Dr. Jallow will also assist in resolving disputes and conflicts, including but not limited to, those between the superintendent and the Board of Education and among members of the Board.

Financial and Academic Improvement Plans

The Board and the monitor will develop proposed Financial and Academic Improvement plans for the 2020-2021 school year and the four subsequent school years no later than November 1, 2020. These plans will be the subject of public hearings to consider the input of the Rochester community. Once the plans are approved by the Board, the plans must be submitted by the monitor to the Commissioner for approval by January 15, 2021.

District & Monitor Reporting Requirements

The district is required to provide quarterly reports to the monitor and annual reports to the Commissioner and Board of Regents on the academic, fiscal, and operational status of the district. The monitor is required to provide semi-annual reports to the Commissioner, the Board of Regents, the Governor, the Temporary President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the Assembly on the academic, fiscal, and operational status of the district which include all the contracts that the district entered into throughout the year.

Dr. Shelley Jallow Biography

Dr. Shelley Jallow most recently served as Senior Director of School Improvement in the Learning Innovations Program at WestEd. Prior to joining WestEd, Dr. Jallow supervised, coached and mentored school and district leaders in school districts throughout New Jersey, representing low-performing elementary, middle, and high schools. Her work resulted in a state designation change from Priority Schools to Schools in Good Standing. Dr. Jallow’s classroom and administrative experience is vast, having served as a mathematics teacher, mathematics director, director of curriculum and instruction, chief academic officer, founding principal, assistant superintendent and deputy superintendent. She earned her doctorate in education at St. John Fisher College in Rochester.