Copyright syracuse.com
Don Lough lives in Syracuse. Every year, headlines declare that the Syracuse City School District is “failing” — that test scores are low and something is deeply wrong. Those stories make for dramatic reading, but they miss a much bigger truth: the remarkable work being done every day by SCSD teachers, students and families. I’m a graduate of East Syracuse–Minoa. I know the reputation suburban schools hold in Onondaga County. Yet when it came time to educate my children, I chose to stay in the city — not because I had to, but because I believed in what SCSD was building. Eight years ago, when Montessori at LeMoyne opened, I enrolled my first child there. Today, my fifth-grader thrives — developing independence, curiosity and compassion. My older child, now in sixth grade at Syracuse Latin, is flourishing, surrounded by peers and educators who love learning. But perhaps even more important than the academics is the community my children are growing up in. In SCSD, they’re learning alongside classmates from all walks of life — from families with very little to families with much more. They’ve made friends whose backgrounds, languages and life experiences differ from their own. That’s not a disadvantage — that’s real life. In the real world — in college, careers and communities — our children will work with people from every background imaginable. SCSD students already live that. They’re learning empathy, adaptability, and problem-solving — lessons that can’t be replicated in a homogenous classroom. City schools face challenges that county schools often do not. Many SCSD students carry burdens — poverty, housing instability, language barriers — that can make learning harder. But instead of running from those challenges, our schools work through them. Teachers become mentors. Counselors and community partners go far beyond their job descriptions. Students show resilience, grit and heart every single day. Those so-called “disadvantages” are not excuses — they’re proof of how strong our students and educators truly are. When people compare city and county schools, I ask: What do suburban schools offer that SCSD doesn’t? If the answer is “higher averages,” that’s not the same as better education. In Syracuse, students access college-level, career-ready, and industry-connected programs that most suburban students never see: ITC: Biotechnology, Culinary Arts, Media Communications and a P-TECH program leading to college degrees. PSLA @ Fowler: Cybersecurity, Fire & Rescue, EMT, Drone Technology, and Cosmetology. Henninger: Health Professions and Clinical Laboratory Science academies. Corcoran: The International Baccalaureate (IB) program plus pathways in Teaching, Welding and Chip Technology. Nottingham: Design and Construction Technology in partnership with Syracuse University. Syracuse STEAM High School: Robotics, Automation, Semiconductor Technology, Game Design and Performing Arts. More than 4,000 SCSD student-athletes compete across 120 teams, many earning Section III Scholar-Athlete honors for balancing sports with academic averages above 90. My own daughter, Abigail Lough, competes in fencing — a sport demanding focus and discipline — and she’s thriving. SCSD athletes, artists, and scholars are proving every day that excellence isn’t defined by ZIP code. So when someone says, “The county schools are better,” I ask: Better at what? If “better” means higher test averages, maybe. But if “better” means raising young people who are open-minded, resilient and ready for the real world — Syracuse wins that every single day. Our schools don’t just teach academics. They teach humanity. They produce young people who know how to connect, adapt, lead and lift others up. The Syracuse City School District isn’t failing. It’s evolving — full of educators, students and families building not just graduates, but good people.
