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After a messy rollout of the Rochester City School District’s Oracle payroll system in the summer, the Board of Education has voted in favor of an independent audit.
A host of Oracle-related issues first started at the beginning of this summer. They quickly grew to an extent that Angelo Palmerini, president of the support staff union BENTE, addressed the board about the problems in a meeting at the end of July.
In short, payments to teachers, counselors, library media specialists, registrars, social workers, and others were delayed, contained errors, or were missed entirely. As many as 800 RCSD employees received insufficient pay for their work over the summer, with hourly support workers experiencing the most trouble with Oracle.
In addition, the number of issues overwhelmed the staff who were trained in the new system and resulted in a backlog of help desk ticket resolutions.
At the end of August, Superintendent Eric Rosser reported that he had trained more staff at all levels of the administration in the Oracle system, begun to issue backpay, kept in communication with union leadership, and engaged Robert McDow, the new chief financial officer, who was set to take over the finance office in September.
“There’s not one board member that doesn’t want to understand the origin and the evolution of the experience we’ve had across the district,” said RCSD board president Camille Simmons while introducing the resolution. “I don’t think there’s one commissioner who does not understand or connect with the impact that this experience has had.”
The audit, conducted by a third party, will cover six key areas: system adoption, project management, implementation process, operational impact, return on investment, and stakeholder feedback. Based on the audit’s findings, Rosser will then recommend remedies and accountability for any revealed deficiencies. An exact timeline for the audit process is not clear.
“I want to stress that going into an audit can be an opportunity for learning,” Simmons said. “At the end of the day, we want to get to the same understanding, which is out of concern for our employees.”
So far, the district reports progress with payroll issues, with only 28 out of more than 5,800 employees not receiving a paycheck in early September. Rosser says the majority of issues will be under control by Sept. 19.
Plans for the district to switch from PeopleSoft to Oracle’s cloud-based software began in 2021 under former Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small. According to Simmons, the switchover’s price ballooned over the ensuing years.
“It started at $12 million, but at some point, before 2025, that thing went from $12 million, then all of a sudden it was $20 million, and then it was $30 million, then $40 million,” she said at Tuesday’s board meeting. “So, I can see why there’s a question of, ‘Wait a minute, how did we get here?’”
Commissioner James Patterson, who was elected to the board in 2019, often brought up his desire for a financial audit of the entire district in previous meetings. He also was chair of an audit committee for the board, which was recently sunsetted out of existence.
“We’d just like to know exactly when the issue began? Was there mismanagement? Who oversaw this area?” he said at the meeting. “Because if we don’t know where we’ve gone wrong, how do we expect not to make those same mistakes in the future? It isn’t that we’re coming after anyone, it’s smart business.”
At the beginning of September, prior to the vote for an independent third-party audit, board members Beatriz LeBron-Harris, Isaiah Santiago, and Cynthia Elliott sent a letter to the state comptroller’s office requesting an investigation into the Oracle software.
The letter accused the process of being “a complex, opaque, and fiscally irresponsible endeavor,” and that there was a “systemic failure” in the effort. The comptroller’s office has yet to respond to the request. It also mentioned that the price tag of the Oracle system increased over the years.
Elliott and LeBron-Harris were RCSD president and vice president when the switchover process started in 2021 and served in those positions until being voted out at the beginning of this year.
The letter is connected to a previous attempt by the three commissioners to bring a measure to the floor in the board’s previous meeting at the end of August. It ultimately was not able to come before the body due to procedural protocols, which LeBron-Harris disputed at the time and in the most recent meeting.
“I have no desire to spend more taxpayer dollars on this issue. (There is no need) to further explore what happened where there is already a taxpayer-funded entity that oversees this audit,” said LeBron-Harris, who was the only dissenting vote for the independent audit. “I certainly want more accountability and state eyes on this issue. I am not confident internally that this can be fully fleshed out.
“Hopefully the state, when they do come in, they will be able to uncover that this was a foreseeable issue and a crisis that could have been avoided altogether,” she added.
Even though he signed the letter supporting a state-led audit, Santiago voted in favor of the independent audit. He said he still supports waiting for a response from the state, however, stressing that expecting Rosser and his administration to undergo two separate simultaneous audits would be inefficient. Elliott was not present at the meeting and therefore did not cast a vote.
For his part, Patterson expressed a hope that both an independent and state-run audit could occur side by side.
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].
DMB 4LIFE (NY License Plate on a Jeep, that I saw)
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I hope that RSCD will find better ways to lift teaching and learning, for all students and teachers, this year. With all the money spent, there should be no excuse for DUMB results.
RCSD can bring in EXPERTS, and they can learn from other school districts in the area, etc.
(They can set up web pages, with advice. See mine: http://www.SavingSchools.org )
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DBM 4LIFE on an auto, reminds me, all the time, that we can do better, and better.
And we can look at the TRUMP insanity, day by day. “Come now, and let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (ISAIAH 1.17)
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Harry. Why does everything always need to include bashing Trump. Is that all there is when you run out of ideas? I have advocated for the urban K-12 education journey for some 18 years. I NEVER bashed a president because he (for now, he’s) has nothing to do with that level. The RCSD has failed our kids for decades! That is the RCSD/RCSB/Teachers Union at a local level. Decades, and the RCSD has failed our urban kids under D’s and R’s during this time. So let’s stop we the bashing. It accomplished NOTHING. Address the issues in which you and I can make a difference. Solution based discussions are the way forward. I have proposed an idea that will give our urban kids a chance to get a relevant education with a clear pathway toward post high school success. I address those who are responsible to teach our kids the way they learn. I expend energy that will get results. That’s it. It appears that of recent, I will have my day with some of the RCSD to implement a solution. You quote the Bible. Look up what it says about hatred. Do you think God is pleased with your assessment? Your methodology? Just saying.
SEMPER FI.
EASY DOES IT, Josh?
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EASY buttons are available at Staples.com for $10 each.
I suggest focusing on EASY steps, in learning, to start with.
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Again, I also suggest having motivating ideas online. See: http://www.SavingSchools.org .
(No, of course, one does not have to bring up TRUMP, but sometimes, it might help, to remind ourselves, that we pick up negative attitudes, from others, without realizing it. When we find a source of foolishness, it might help us to change, for the better. TRUMPISM is one example, we might all relate to…
No one should be surprised. The RCSD cannot teach the way kids learn. That has been a fact for decades. Now it appears that the 1.2 billion urban school budget will fall short of covering the bills. Success escapes this educational entity at ALL levels. And who gets hurt the most….the Urban K-12 student. I want you to imagine a contractor coming to your home and estimating (in thousands of dollars) a $12,000.00 bathroom remodeling and then upon completion, weeks over the estimated time predicted, he presents you with a $40,000.00 plus bill. I’d say you would be livid!! I can also assure you that this aint over yet. You can add a few more thousands to this mess. The only thing that keeps this project going is the education promised, the mission to educate our urban youth. The audit ought to be interesting. Financial incompetence is guaranteed and I believe that “shenanigans” will also be uncovered. Then the accountability aspect which at that level is non-existent. If, in addition to State funding, federal funding is involved, someone should notify the FBI.
Hopefully, people are paying close attention. We should be GLAD that “the Board of Education has voted in favor of an independent audit.” I mean people can TALK all they want about having “state eyes on this issue,” but please do NOT be fooled. The state has investigated the Rochester City School on numerous occasions, and in my humble, but unequivocally-staunch and informed view, has clearly been complicit in cover-ups (even after they discovered malfeasance)!!! So again, it’s very, very GOOD that “the Board of Education has voted in favor of an independent audit.” NOW WE JUST NEED TO PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHO (SPECIFICALLY, I.E., WHICH FIRM IS CHOSEN TO CARRY IT OUT)!!!
https://www.google.com/search?q=In+2019+New+York+State+Comptroller+made+investigation+of+RCSD+a+priority&sca_esv=1720fa6fb76a49fc&sxsrf=AE3TifNbMMMmakZGWhNeImMZLKdzvCVBIA%3A1758048153091&ei=ma_JaM2nBYCJptQPgYL26AM&ved=0ahUKEwiN2Kbd992PAxWAhIkEHQGBHT0Q4dUDCBA&oq=In+2019+New+York+State+Comptroller+made+investigation+of+RCSD+a+priority&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiSEluIDIwMTkgTmV3IFlvcmsgU3RhdGUgQ29tcHRyb2xsZXIgbWFkZSBpbnZlc3RpZ2F0aW9uIG9mIFJDU0QgYSBwcmlvcml0eUiXIlCTB1jSCXABeACQAQCYAX2gAdsBqgEDMS4xuAEMyAEA-AEBmAIAoAIAmAMAiAYBkgcAoAf3AbIHALgHAMIHAMgHAA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
There is much more to this than is readily apparent. Especially at the State level. I would like the Attorney Generals’ Office to also investigate how lax various state entities were in letting and overseeing non-competitive contracts and list all the sources of money, local, state and federal, including COVID dollars to determine if there was haste or lack of oversight by anyone, including the state mandated Monitor, previous or former RCSD leaders or board members. No matter what the source of the monies, they all come from the taxpayer and we will ultimately still be on the hook for operation and maintenance when other sources of money dries up. I’ve never been happy with the lack of fiduciary responsibility of the commissioners, management or staff. The culture needs to change, fast. By the way other NY school districts were also guided by state offices to use the same system. Perhaps the only way for transparency and accountability to happen is if a truly independent audit b y the AG’s office takes place.
As someone with 43 years of experience in IT you have no further to look than the bidding system for these sorts of projects. The idea that the “lowest price” will also provide the best result is antithetical to any IT project management experience . With low price bidding you almost always have poor project implementation and poor results. To make money the vendor must cut corners to meet the low bid and the spec is rarely anywhere near guidance for best implementation meaning the spec changes on the fly which drives cost up. City IT projects rarely pay for a spec to be developed up front for what a good implementation would be.
The another almost certain cause is the nature of the call for bids. Invariably these are written to be either extremely vague with specs undefined and milestones and delivery details vague forcing the proposer to write a spec in order to even bid or so specific that only one pre selected vendor can supply it.
It’s a no win for a vendor. It’s a no win for the city or school. The entire IT system of acquisition needs a revamp to fix this sort of problem long term.