BUFFALO, NY - Even though hundreds of parents filled an auditorium this week demanding reform in Buffalo schools, the superintendent says it's business as usual.
"What are you doing as the superintendent today that's different than yesterday to answer their calls for reform," 2 On Your Side's Josh Boose asked Buffalo Schools Superintendent Dr. James Williams.
"Nothing," Williams replied.
"Why not?" Boose followed up.
"I'm doing reform folks," said Williams.
"So for all those parents last night [Tuesday] that took the time off to hear what people had to say and now they hear you say, business as usual, the day after?" Boose said to Williams.
"We don't operate that way," said Williams. "We have plans."
And those plans for nine under performing schools changed Wednesday, but not because of the crowd of parents Tuesday night.
The district is now considering a plan that would cut down on requirements for hundreds of teachers to work in different buildings than they do this year. The changes came because the teachers' union wouldn't sign off on the other plan and because of input from the community.
"There have been a lot of changes because of parental involvement, us going out to talk with the teaching staff in these schools," said Buffalo School Board Member Chris Jacobs.
But the board president said change isn't from "the rhetoric" he heard Tuesday.
"Why not take their concerns seriously?" Boose asked Buffalo School Board President Ralph Hernandez.
"We have," Hernandez said. "We have from the beginning. If you mean by that are we going to allow them to impose their will on the board, no."
One of the leaders of the parents group wanting reform isn't fazed.
"I don't have any response to Dr. Williams," said Sam Radford, Buffalo Schools Parent Coording Council Vice President. "This boycott is not about Dr. Williams, it's about parents."
That boycott calls for parents to take their kids out of school for a half day May 16th and rally outside city hall because parents like Sam Radford say the district has to be rebuilt from the ground up. And even though some of the current school leaders don't seem to be listening, Radford says the calls for change will only be getting louder.
"We're going to focus on what we can do to change the situations and circumstances," said Radford.
A special board meeting has been called for Thursday at 5 pm so the board of education can vote on those changes to plans for low performing schools. A plan is due to the state on May 9th.
At Tuesday night's meeting, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown pledged to bring all sides together to work on school reform. His spokesman says so far, no date has been set.