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The Children’s Agenda analyzes budgets and public policy to ensure public expenditures map to what’s effective and what does the most good. With no affiliation with or funding from government or children’s services providers, we look at the impact of proposed funding plans on kids and families in the Rochester City School District, Monroe County, New York State, or The City of Rochester. We look out for taxpayers, making sure that expenditures are for evidence-based preventive programs that work—not expensive, remedial, or ineffective programs.

2019-2020 Executive Summary TCA Review of City of Rochester’s Proposed BudgetNEW

June 12, 2019

The City of Rochester’s FY20 budget was proposed just after the release of “Rochester 2034,” the City’s Draft Comprehensive Plan for the next 15 years. The 2019-20 budget is a down payment on our long-term investments in that plan. It should reflect the fact that the future belongs to Rochester’s children and youth; their healthy development is the foundation needed for the success and growth of our city.

The Children’s Agenda urges the City to target resources toward 3 critical investments:

  • Invest in children and the adults who care for or teach them;
  • Invest in structural and regional strategies to create a future free from racial inequities;
  • Invest in community collaborations that create a “village” where young people can grow and thrive.
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2019-20220 RCSD Budget Review Cover

Review of the 2019-2020 Rochester City School District Budget

April 11, 2019

Prepared by Eamonn Scanlon, Education and Policy Analyst, The Children’s Agenda

The purpose of The Children’s Agenda’s review of the RCSD budget, along with our annual reviews of the City and County budgets, is to break open the budget process in a way that increases transparency, accountability and parent empowerment. We present information about RCSD revenue and expenditures, including changes proposed in the budget currently under consideration. We offer a detailed look at four areas that are prominent in parents’ concerns: special education, English language learners, school climate, and early childhood education.

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2019 TCA-review-of-NYS-Exec-Budget Cover

2019 TCA Review of New York State Budget

March 7, 2019

The FY2019 Executive Budget proposes several promising reforms and initiatives that will benefit New York children, such as funding for the First 1000 Days on Medicaid initiative and implementation of Raise the Age juvenile justice policy. There are more proposals, though, that signal a reduced commitment to meeting the needs of New York’s children.

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2019 County-Adopted-Budget-Summary-Report-Cover

2019 Analysis of Monroe County Budget

March 7, 2019

The adopted 2019 Monroe County budget includes:
• A shifting of 6 Dept. of Public Health clerical staff to respond to the collapse of Early Intervention (EI) Service Coordination programs in community agencies. A proposal to create a wait list for infants and toddlers referred for EI evaluation was withdrawn.
• An increase of $1.8 M in County spending on child care subsidies.
• Addition of 30 case aide positions in Child Protective Services.
• A ten-cent reduction in the County’s property tax rate and an increase in assessed valuation, leading to $11.6 M more projected property tax revenue in 2019 over 2018.

In this report, we provide commendations for several allocations in Monroe County’s 2019 Adopted Budget and priority recommendations for further action in 2019.

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Breaking the School to Prison Pipeline Report Cover

2019 Breaking The School To Prison Pipeline

January 20, 2019

Breaking The School-To-Prison Pipeline focuses on the last five school years (2013-2014 to 2017-2018). During this period, many new initiatives were being implemented to address school climate and discipline in the Rochester City School District (RCSD). In keeping with The Children’s Agenda’s mission, this report seeks to promote evidencebased solutions for improving children’s academic and social-emotional wellbeing, especially for those most impacted by poverty, discrimination, health disparities, and trauma.

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The Children’s Agenda
1 South Washington St.
Suite 120
Rochester, NY 14614

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(585) 256-2620
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Our Mission

The Children’s Agenda advocates for effective policies and drives evidenced-based solutions for the health, education and success of children. We are especially committed to children who are vulnerable because of poverty, racism, health disparities and trauma.

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