At Tuesday, October 22's school board meeting, the majority of the discussion was focused on the upcoming Referendum.
VoteSmart RPS AI Chatbot
Today, we launched a new Artificial Intelligence Chatbot to help answer questions about the 2024 Ignite Student Learning Referendum. The district was approached by Mani Thavasi, an RPS parent who is also the CEO of TRBHI (pronounced "tree-be"), a Rochester-based technology company with a global presence. Thavasi offered RPS his company's services free of charge and worked with the District to create this tool to help answer questions the community might have. This is another tool we are utilizing to ensure that the public receives accurate and timely information about the referendum.
You can view the Chatbot and ask your specific questions at https://thedecision.ai/.
Straight Answers to the 20 Big Questions on the Rochester Public Schools Referendum
The board also discussed the "Straight Answers to the 20 Big Questions on the Rochester Public Schools Referendum."
Over the past six months, thousands of Rochester residents have shared their views on the referendum for Rochester Public Schools that will be on the ballot on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. They have completed surveys, participated in focus groups, attended community meetings, and shared opinions through email and social media. Many have spoken with principals and teachers at school events and during drop-off and pick-up times. As we approach the final two weeks before the election, here are their most frequently asked questions and clear answers for voters to consider as they head to the polls.
You can view the 20 questions and their video answers on our website at https://referendum.rochesterschools.org/straight-answers.
Virtual Information Session
We have a few upcoming virtual information sessions remaining:
Wednesday, October 23, 12-1 p.m.
Wednesday, October 23, 7-8 p.m.
Tuesday, October 29, 7-8 p.m.
You can access the Zoom meetings at this link: https://bit.ly/referendum-virtual-info-session. Before each session, we will change the destination link to the upcoming Zoom session link.
If that link doesn't work for you, you can access each meeting by going to https://www.rochesterschools.org/events and clicking on the respective event. The Zoom link can be found there.
Make a plan to vote
You can vote early now through November 4. In addition to weekday voting, you can vote early in person on Saturday, October 26, 2024, and November 2, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sunday, November 3, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Tuesday, October 29, 2024, hours are extended from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 5.
Learn more about how to register to vote and how to vote early at https://referendum.rochesterschools.org/voting-information