Mary Adams (New York)

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Mary Adams

Democratic Party

Prior offices

Rochester City School District school board, At-large

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Education

Bachelor's

University of Rochester

Graduate

University of Rochester

Personal

Profession

Research nurse

Contact

Personal website

Mary Adams is a Democratic, at-large representative on the Rochester City Board of School Commissioners in New York. She was first elected to the board in November 2011.

Adams sought another term in the Democratic primary election on September 10, 2015. She won that election, which allowed her to advance to the general election. She also filed to run with the Independence Party in the general election on November 3, 2015. She won another term in the election.

Biography

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Adams works as a research nurse at the University of Rochester Medical Center in the AIDS Clinical Trials Unit. She is involved in the School 10 PTO and also volunteers with the Flower City Soccer League. She is also a member of the Flying Squirrel Community Space. Adams earned a bachelor's degree in biology from the State University of New York at Cortland, a second bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Rochester and a master's degree in public health from the University of Rochester. She and her husband have three daughters.

Elections

2015

See also: Rochester City School District elections (2015)

Opposition

Four of the seven seats on the Rochester City School District Board of School Commissioners were up for general election on November 3, 2015. A primary election was held on September 10, 2015. The elections were held at large. The seats held by incumbents Willa Powell, Malik Evans, Melisza Campos and Mary Adams were on the ballot. Adams, Evans and Powell won re-election, while Elizabeth Hallmark (D/WF) joined the board. They defeated Matthew McDermott (WF) in the general election.

Campos did not file to run for re-election, ensuring at least one newcomer would join the board. The other three incumbents faced five challengers in the primary election: Howard Eagle, Hallmark, Mia Hodgins, McDermott and Lorenzo Williams. All eight candidates ran as Democrats, which mandated the primary.

There were several cases of cross-filing in this election. In addition to running as Democrats, Adams and Evans filed to run with the Independence Party, and Powell, Hallmark and McDermott additionally ran with the Working Families Party.

Adams, Evans, Powell and Hallmark won the Democratic primary election, allowing them to advance to the general election. Because he cross-filed with the Working Families Party, McDermott also advanced to the general election.

The names of candidates who ran with multiple party designations appeared under each party designation on the general election ballot. The votes from each designation were then pooled together to give a candidate's vote total.

Results

General election

ELECTORAL FUSION: Rochester City School District, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Cross-filed (2)	Malik Evans Incumbent	24.9%	14,907
	Cross-filed (2)	Elizabeth Hallmark	23.8%	14,239
	Cross-filed (2)	Willa Powell Incumbent	22.6%	13,512
	Cross-filed (2)	Mary Adams Incumbent	22.1%	13,204
	Working Families Party	Matthew McDermott	6.2%	3,738
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.4%	260
Total Votes				59,860
Source: Monroe County, "2015 Monroe County General Election Unofficial Results," accessed November 3, 2015.

FULL BY-PARTY RESULTS:
	Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Malik Evans Incumbent	21.8%	13,066
	Democratic	Elizabeth Hallmark	19.7%	11,821
	Democratic	Mary Adams Incumbent	19.6%	11,747
	Democratic	Willa Powell Incumbent	19%	11,368
	Working Families	Matthew McDermott	6.2%	3,738
	Working Families	Elizabeth Hallmark	4%	2,418
	Working Families	Willa Powell Incumbent	3.6%	2,144
	Independence	Malik Evans Incumbent	3.1%	1,841
	Independence	Mary Adams Incumbent	2.4%	1,457
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.4%	260

Primary election

This election was held September 10, 2015.

Rochester City School District, At-Large, Democratic Primary, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Malik Evans Incumbent	19.2%	4,910
Mary Adams Incumbent	16.2%	4,137
Elizabeth Hallmark	14.2%	3,637
Willa Powell Incumbent	14.2%	3,629
Lorenzo Williams	10.4%	2,652
Howard Eagle	9.9%	2,517
Mia Hodgins	8.1%	2,065
Matthew McDermott	7.5%	1,923
Write-in votes	0.28%	72
Total Votes		25,542
Source: Monroe County Clerk, "Democratic Primary Final Summary," accessed September 23, 2015

Funding

According to the Democrat & Chronicle, incumbent Willa Powell and challengers Howard Eagle, Mia Hodgins, and Lorenzo Williams reported spending less than $500 on their campaigns for the first campaign finance filing deadline for the primary election. The newspaper also reported that out of the eight candidates in the election, challenger Elizabeth Hallmark spent the most money on her campaign at $1,714, and incumbent Malik Evans raised the most at $9,125, which included a $5,000 personal loan.

Reporting requirements

See also: Campaign finance in the Rochester City School District election

School board candidates were required to file campaign finance disclosure reports with the clerk of the Rochester City School District. No disclosure reports were required from candidates who raised or spent less than $500, but those candidates did have to file a sworn statement to that effect with the school district clerk. Three reports were required per election from those over the $500 threshold. Campaign finance reports for the primary election were due August 12, September 5, and September 30, 2015. The general election campaign finance reports were due October 4, October 29, and November 23, 2015.

Endorsements

Adams received endorsements from the following organizations:

• Monroe County Democratic Party
• Rochester Labor Council
• Rochester Teachers Association (RTA)
• Board of Education Non-Teaching Employees (BENTE)
• Coalition for Justice in Education (CJE)
• Empire State Pride Agenda
• Rochester City Newspaper
• ATU Local 282

2011

Rochester City School District, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Malik D. Evans	19.1%	13,538
	Democratic	Melisza E. Campos	17.9%	12,715
	Democratic	Mary B. Adams	17.4%	12,312
	Democratic	Willa Powell	17.4%	12,301
	Working Families	Mia C. Hodgins	4.1%	2,920
	Working Families	Glenny A. Williams	3.8%	2,670
	Green	Howard J. Eagle	3.7%	2,615
	Green	Wallace R. Smith	3.6%	2,580
	Green	Mary B. Adams	2.8%	1,982
	Working Families	Willa Powell	2.8%	1,976
	Working Families	Melisza E. Campos	2.5%	1,762
	Independence	Malik D. Evans	2%	1,416
	Independence	Melisza E. Campos	1.8%	1,304
	Rochester's Parents United	Mia C. Hodgins	1.1%	793
Total Votes				70,884
Source: Monroe County Board of Elections, "2011 General Election Certification," accessed July 16, 2015

Campaign themes

2015

Adams highlighted the following issues on her campaign website:

“	Community Control Urban Public Education and Community Control Democratically elected school boards offer the promise of representing the families and students they serve. It is true that powerful forces seek to dismantle democratic decision-making structures, to disrupt neighborhood public schools and to divert dollars from public institutions to private management companies and charter schools. These very real forces make the work of school boards difficult and seriously constrained. However there are strategies that we can pursue to more authentically represent our constituents and implement transformative changes to benefit our children. In order to do that we need systemic analyses, serious collaboration at the school and district level by all stakeholders, and the guts to move from compliance to emancipatory education. My experience as a fully committed parent activist began during the time that Jean-Claude Brizard pushed an agenda in Rochester that was accepted by the school board without much questioning, critique or discussion, and certainly without taking into account vocal community opinions. In fact, he called us a name. He said we were “CAVE” or Citizens Against Virtually Everything. As a new board member it was difficult to hear our current superintendent, Dr. Vargas, deflect calls for a more reasonable approach to facilities policy with the rationale that he is implementing the school board’s directive. I think many, including myself, believe that the costly and ill-conceived “portfolio” plan inherited from JC Brizard should have been stopped and comprehensively re-examined immediately. While my colleagues on the board agreed that the board should reassess and articulate an updated district-wide plan, this discussion never really happened in an assertive or comprehensive way. However, the sudden proposal to close School 16 in 2012 spurred the board to address questions of building quality and the value of neighborhood schools to families and the broader community. School 16 will not close, but instead will be fully renovated as a K-6 neighborhood school. In 2012 the Superintendent and the School Board stated that a district priority is to strengthen neighborhood schools, and this commitment continues to appear as a highlight in strategic planning and public relations materials. Excellent academic content and pedagogy is as important, if not more important, than ensuring that every neighborhood has a community school. While public schools are required to operate under federal and state laws and regulations, we clearly have deep responsibility for curriculum, materials and instructional approaches. My view is that local control of education would go a long way to improve the learning and lifelong outcomes for our students. Basic elements of local control would entail acknowledging head on the fact that the large majority of our school population is composed of children of color. Specifically, we have a majority of African American children, large numbers of Latino/a children and an amazing diversity from all over the world, including Native Americans as well as children of European ancestry. It is inexcusable that RCSD continues to “work around the edges” of cultural excellence and historical accuracy. ALL children will benefit from a truly inclusive, scholarly and rich curriculum taught by educators who are universally prepared to embrace and develop knowledge of their students and their families. Work has been advanced for a long time, by highly qualified contributors from our local community, that is foundational to transforming our schools both in terms of control and content. By this I mean there are examples of how strong school communities can develop and sustain highly successful and connected programs for students. Parental, family, student, alumni, and neighborhood investment in making sure decisions support, rather than undermine, effective programs are key. There is local control at the decision-making table, and attempts to circumvent parents and school community are not tolerated. In terms of high quality content and pedagogy that demonstrates principles of excellence in teaching children of color, it is time to move from pockets of excellence to dissemination and continued development district wide. Local control should entail institutions that not only look like the populations they serve (recruitment and retention of more educators or color), but offer content that is supportive, relevant and actively shaped and accepted by the community. Recent work succeeds in strengthening neighborhood schools Commissioner Adams believes in strengthening neighborhood schools. During her first year on the board the district updated the multi-year Facilities Modernization Plan for improving school buildings across the district. She was a vocal proponent of a more open planning process and sought out the involvement of neighborhood groups and school communities. She continues to insist on authentic school community involvement in decisions impacting the future of schools. This year, School 44 families, staff and a supportive group of 19th Ward neighbors succeeded in securing a school board directive written by Commissioner Adams to keep School 44 open, serving students in prekindergarten through grade 6, until School 16 returns back to the neighborhood in 2018 or soon thereafter. The board resolution captured a collective desire for stable neighborhood school choices. The State Education Department is requiring that our district close school buildings due to declining enrollment and cost. In 2013, five facilities were approved for closure in upcoming years based on building age, condition and features of school sites. Schools 44, 54, 22, 25 and 36 were designated for closure of their buildings. The 2013 decision stated that School 44 would close “by 2020-2021,” but district leaders would not say when they intended to close the school. This uncertainty was damaging for the school community and led some families to choose schools where they could expect more stability and continuity. Broad community support and advocacy finally paid off in the April, 2015 board resolution which established a plan to ensure stability and predictability. The plan explicitly requires school improvement planning for both School 44 and School 16 to be based on the principles of neighborhood community model schools, and assumes a strong community and school based planning process. While it remains deeply disappointing that the School 44 building will close in the future, we should celebrate that neighborhood students will benefit from a deliberate, well planned transition process into a newly equipped 21st Century community school. The major renovation of School 16 on Post Avenue is estimated to be completed in 2018, and neighborhood students from School 44 will be welcomed along with neighborhood children who have been attending School 16 in its temporary location across town. Until that transition School 44 will remain open as high quality, welcoming educational setting for our children. All communities can get involved in strengthening their neighborhood schools – Commissioner Adams would be happy to help you get involved. Call her at 585-317-2367. To get involved in supporting schools in Southwest Rochester contact John Boutet at jboutet@frontiernet.net Mary’s Track Record of Leadership Local school districts “have clear decision-making authority over the adoption of curriculum materials and instructional practices.” New York State law requires us to use the Common Core State STANDARDS, but the ways we meet those standards – the curriculum, lesson plans, books, etc — are the responsibility of our local school board. Commissioner Adams convened and chaired a special committee to look at how common core standards are being put in place in the City School District because teachers, parents and others were raising important questions: Are we providing culturally responsive and historically accurate teaching and materials? Are we providing teaching and activities that match each child’s learning stage and that bring out each child’s strengths? Are standardized tests driving too much of what happens all year, and if so what can be done to make sure leaning is interesting and high quality? The special board committee, which includes parents, teachers, college professors, principals and community members, confirmed that there is much work to do. A new District Instructional Council has been created to ensure that the district as a whole can learn from and adopt the practices and materials used by those teachers and principals who have proven success in engaging and motivating our children to achieve academic excellence. The council will interface with professional development initiatives that include teacher and community members with expertise in teaching children of color. The work will also focus on strategies to elevate the role and impact of the Rochester Teacher Center, the African and African American Studies Department and the Latino Studies Department. Mary’s track record on student discipline and school culture Alarmed by large numbers of suspensions and on-campus arrests, Commissioner Adams has demonstrated her commitment to create a comprehensive, supportive and safe school climate within the Rochester City Schools. She has been a constant advocate for families experiencing bureaucratic challenges within the school climate. She has been a strong proponent of transitioning exclusionary discipline approaches into more effective interventions and individualized responses. She has been a vocal leader for ensuring that police involvement in school related matters is not a substitution for a sound adolescent disciplinary response by building leaders. Commissioner Adams was very active in ensuring that the RPD School Resource Officer agreement did not provide overarching authority to police officers in schools. Commissioner Adams was also instrumental in ensuring suspension data is available to provide monthly visibility to the Board. As Chairperson of the Board’s Audit Committee, Commissioner Adams continues to monitor district progress toward improving student behavior management, school climate and overall safety. Commissioner Adams recognizes that success will not be achieved unless there is “Buy in” for school climate improvement across all building personnel, training, a culture of trust, a desire to understand each student’s social-emotional needs and resources to meet those needs. Under her leadership, the Audit Committee continues to focus direct support through the Office of Auditor General, in addition to her personal community advocacy. Transforming school climates and discipline practices are extremely challenging, and require authentic input from all involved to achieve meaningful and sustained improvements. Commissioner Adams represents the School Board on the Community Task Force on School Climate, and is deeply committed to ensuring effective uptake of the Task Force’s work in the district. She also serves as an invited representative on the State School Climate Improvement Team, responsible for developing guidance from the State of New York and interfacing with federal representatives at the Department of Justice and Department of Education. The Community Task Force on School Climate holds real potential, initiated by the superintendent in 2014 with strong partnerships among a representative spectrum of individuals and organizations. The Advancement Project, a well- respected civil rights organization is supporting the work with legal expertise and community organizing experience, while the Rochester Area Community Foundation has generously taken on a supportive convening role. Insisting on Local Standards of Academic Excellence Rochester Board of Education Ad Hoc Common Core State Standards Implementation Committee Brief Highlights of the Work October 2014 Committee Contributors: Mary Adams, Convener and Chair, Rochester City School District Board of Education Maureen Barrant, Jacqueline Cady, Carla Carey, Stefan Cohen, Gerald Coles, Mariella Diaz, Dan Drmacich, Leslie Edwards, Lisa Englert, Tracey Farmer, Mahreen George, Susan Goodwin, Elizabeth Hallmark, Paul Hetland, Robin Hooper, David Hursh, Sharon Jackson, Shalunda Junious-Concepcion, Stephen LaMorte, Rhonda Morien, Nancy Stanton Multer, Annette Ramos, Victoria Robertson, Candace Rubin, Judith Schuster What is the Ad Hoc Common Core State Standards Implementation Committee? The School Board formed a special committee to look at how Common Core State Standards are being put in place in the City School District because teachers, parents and others were raising important questions. There were three main concerns with the new modules and materials: 1. Are we providing culturally responsive and historically accurate teaching and materials? 2. Are we providing teaching and activities that match each child’s learning stage and that bring out each child’s strengths? 3. Are standardized tests driving too much of what happens all year, and if so what can be done to make sure leaning is interesting and high quality? What is the School Board’s role? Local school districts “have clear decision-making authority over the adoption of curriculum materials and instructional practices.” (NYS Dept of Education) New York State law requires us to use the Common Core State STANDARDS, but the way we meet those standards is up to local districts – the actual curriculum, lesson plans, books, etc — is the responsibility of our local school district. Who is on the common core committee? In August 2013 we made an open invitation to interested members of the Rochester community to join the common core Committee. The Committee includes teachers, parents, principals, college professors and community members. We met monthly for over a year. Meeting notes are available on the School Board’s business website “BoardDocs.com.” What did the Committee discover? MUCH WORK has been done by RCSD leaders to implement new standards. Staff are clearly dedicated and working very hard to implement. Concerns about culturally relevant teaching and historically accurate curriculum are founded. The Committee found that the curriculum offered by NY State Education Department is especially worrisome for grades Kindergarten -2. In all grade levels, a lack of cultural connectedness and accurate scholarship have been LONGSTANDING PROBLEMS. These problems are not solved by Common Core State Standards, but the close look at what our children should know and be able to do, prompted by all of the attention to curriculum and materials, presents an opportunity to really address them. Concerns about matching curriculum with children’s readiness were founded. Some of the materials provided by New York State did not seem based on either early childhood education research or on common sense. Some kindergarten teachers have spoken up and are working with the District to make needed changes. Students with special needs may be disadvantaged when teachers are not supported to individualize the materials and approaches they use to meet different learning needs. During Committee meetings, teachers explained that basic reading and writing are not adequately supported by New York State’s materials, citing specific concerns with the order and speed required. They also said the new State modules do not include anywhere near enough student writing in early elementary grades. Bilingual materials were reported as lacking and translated texts were not provided, resulting in the necessity of teachers not only copying State provided materials but being required to translate them. District schools do not generally have enough books in Spanish and other languages of our students, with an overall approach of adapting English language materials rather than supporting higher quality Spanish (and other language) materials. The Committee found confusion and contradictory messages about how much individual schools and teachers could use their knowledge and experience to implement the Common Core State Standards. Many teachers described having been clearly directed to use EngageNY (the State provided modules and guides) with precision, resulting in a scripted and paced approach to instruction. Some schools are actively designing curriculum, lessons and projects that aim to not only meet the state’s expectations, but to exceed them. The Committee wants examples of excellence like this to be visible and shared. There is evidence that when educators come together, look at the common core standards themselves (rather than only the modules provided by the State) they can develop the highest quality mix of resources, lessons, texts and approaches to meet those standards. Highly qualified educators should work together to develop curriculum and approaches that reflect local standards of excellence in all schools, not just in some. Input from families, students, subject matter experts and district level educational leadership are important for this process to be successful.	”
—Mary Adams' campaign website (2015)

Recent news

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Mary Adams (New York) - Google News

See also

• Rochester City School District, New York
• Rochester City School District elections (2015)
• Incumbency no guarantee of success in Nov. 3 school board elections (November 6, 2015)
• What happened in Nov.'s top board elections? (November 4, 2015)

External links

Suggest a link

• Rochester City School District
• Office website
• Campaign website