In narrow vote, RCSD board opts for new leadership

The Rochester City School District Board of Education has eschewed incumbency for fresh leadership in 2025. Reaction to the vote underscored tensions among board members.

Commissioners Camille Simmons and Amy Maloy last week took over the president and vice president seats, respectively, from longtime holders Cynthia Elliott and Beatriz LeBron. The new leadership was sworn in after the vote, typically held at the beginning of each year.

In a post on the RCSD’s Facebook page the next day, Simmons expressed her gratitude at being elected to the position and outlined her focus for the upcoming year.

“Differing perspectives are part of any robust dialogue and highlight a shared passion for our students and their futures,” she said. “As your School Board President, I am committed to fostering transparency and accountability. I believe in creating spaces where every voice is heard and valued, ensuring our decisions reflect our community’s diverse needs and aspirations. I invite you to join me on this journey as active participants, sharing your ideas, concerns, and dreams for the future of our schools.

“To our students, know that you are at the heart of everything we do,” continued Simmons. “Thank you to our families and community members for your steadfast support and engagement. And to our dedicated staff, your hard work and passion make all the difference in shaping lives and futures.”

Simmons was elected over Elliott, while Maloy won against Commissioner Isaiah Santiago. The votes were split 4-3 each time with Simmons, Maloy, Jaqueline Griffin, and James Patterson voting as one group and Elliott, LeBron, and Santiago as the other.

Elliott has been a board member for nearly two decades (she was first elected in 2005), with years-long stints in both the president and vice president seats.

LeBron was first elected in 2018. The next most senior member is Maloy herself, who was elected in 2019. Simmons was first elected to the board in 2021.

Committee heads were also elected during the meeting, with Griffin and Patterson reelected to run the Policy Development and Review, and Audit committees. Santiago was elected to head the Equity in Student Achievement Committee, taking over from Simmons.

Even as he believes the new president will be a good leader, Santiago says he still has reasons for concern. (He was the only commissioner who responded to the Beacon’s requests for comment for this story. Elliott declined to comment.)

“I support new leadership, but I don’t trust leadership that doesn’t have trust behind it,” Santiago says.

“I hope and know that (the new leadership) will push for the best for our students, our parents, and our families,” he adds. “I disagree with the way that they became leaders on the board.”

Specifically, he believes there was a “lack of integrity” in the way the elections occurred. Santiago says he asked board members about their intentions toward leadership in December but received no confirmation one way or another or he felt messages were outright ignored. 

Santiago was therefore surprised when new members put their names forward for the president’s seat and alluded to his belief that “backdoor deals” helped to secure the position.

“Some of the decisions that were made outside of the president’s seat I disagree with,” says Santiago. “Like with the vice president decision, like the chairperson of the audit, the chairperson of policy; certain people are known to be disruptive behind the scenes, so there was a political deal with this president to give them what they want.

“With the decisions that were made, we go a few steps back because with the political back-door deals that were decided with the four majority board members now, it caused division. It caused a break of trust, which is the beginning of any relationship. So, how can this board move together as a body when there’s not trust inside of it?” 

Board meetings have revealed obvious tension among board members. Most often, Griffin and Patterson have butted heads with LeBron and Elliott over topics such as meeting procedures, the powers and direction of the board, and personal conduct.

For example, Patterson’s criticism of spending decisions received a sharp rebuke from Elliott at a meeting last month. When he spoke out of turn in an attempt to defend himself further, Patterson and LeBron engaged in a shouting match, even after the mics were cut.

Social media posts by LeBron following this election suggest she agrees with Santiago’s view of the situation.

“There’s no friend in politics, I get that, but that doesn’t mean you have to lack integrity too. (Shaking my head),” she wrote on Facebook.

“Speaking for myself as an individual commissioner, although this trust was broken, I am willing to do whatever is beneficial to the students,” says Santiago. “I don’t want to be so devolved in the politics of this board, that I’m making decisions that aren’t beneficial to the students. It may have broken the trust for me, but that doesn’t mean the work is done.”

Jacob Schermerhorn is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and data journalist. The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name. See “Leave a Reply” below to discuss on this post. Comments of a general nature may be submitted to the Letters page by emailing  [email protected].