ROCHESTER, N.Y. — While the kids are off for summer, Rochester City School District’s new interim superintendent is hitting the ground running.

Demario Strickland is no stranger to education. He started as an elementary school teacher. Now, he’s leading Rochester City Schools.

News10NBC’s Marsha Augustin stopped by his office Tuesday afternoon., his second day on the job. He shared how his first day went, his background and his vision for the school district.

Strickland took over after Dr. Carmine Peluso left to take a job as superintendent for the Churchville-Chili Central School District. Strickland says he’s ready to get to work.

Strickland says he is not new to this — he is true to this. He has been serving as RCSD’s Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning since March 2023.

“I was 6 years old, when my grandmother or someone in my family bought me a chalkboard and I used to write on the porch,” Strickland said. “That led to me actually taking all of the teachers’ workbooks and worksheets that they were going to throw away at the end of the year and gathering all the kids in the community.”

And teaching them. It all happened in Buffalo where he grew up. Strickland was the principal and assistant principal in the Buffalo City School District and dean of students in the New York City Department of Education. He started his career in education as an elementary school teacher and has always had a passion for teaching kids.

“Making sure that we are really providing them with the foundational skills that they need to be successful in our world,” Strickland said. He added: “Demario is an avid Bills fan; I always have to put that out there.”

Something else he put out there is the revolving door of superintendents — eight in 12 years. It’s one of the reasons why Strickland says he took on the interim role.

“The ongoing messages is the hamster wheel and things of that nature — and I was like, I don’t want that for the students, I don’t want that for the teachers or the principals. I want to help support their stability,” Strickland said.

His message to parents: “One of the things I will make sure I do is to make sure parents are at the table and that we are working together.”

It’s something Chrissy Miller, whose child attends School 29, says she appreciates about Strickland. He helped her resolve an issue when he was deputy superintendent.

“He’s willing to sit and listen to the parents, sit and listen to the students and also he will sit and listen to the community members,” Miller said. “I’m so grateful; I am truly grateful for him.”

Strickland says he wants to bring on a chief of schools to focus on how they can help students be successful.

You can watch Marsha Augustin’s entire interview with Strickland below. She also spoke with him about the 67% graduation rate, possible teacher layoffs, and the reconfiguration plan.

Watch the full interview here:

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