RCSD board passes nearly $1.2 billion budget

A fiery Rochester City School Board meeting late Tuesday ended with the approval of the proposed 2026-2027 budget in a 4-3 split.

“Given the shortfall of nearly $50 million, this has been a difficult budget process. No responsible budget comes without hard choices,” Rochester City School District superintendent Eric Rosser said when presenting it for approval. “The concerns raised by members of our board and our community, as well as our students, have been heard, respected, and taken seriously.”

“Passing this budget does not mean ignoring concerns, it does not mean accepting the status quo,” said RCSD board vice president Amy Maloy, who voted to approve the budget. “It means fulfilling our prescribed duty as commissioners, while continuing to hold (the) administration accountable for ensuring resources are aligned to student needs.”

Joining Maloy were board president Camille Simmons and commissioners Kareem McCullough and Heather Feinman. Commissioners Beatriz LeBron-Harris, Isaiah Santiago, and Jacqueline Griffin voted “no,” citing concerns around educational services and transparency in the budget process.

“Tonight, I am voting ‘no’ on the proposed RCSD 2026-2027 budget,” Santiago said to applause from the audience, which was dominated by people supporting a “no” vote. “Our students deserve more than cuts, uncertainties, and a lack of transparency.”

The commissioners who approved the budget cited the desire for stability and the board’s fiduciary duty to pass a budget by May 14 as key factors in their decision.

“As a parent and an advocate for the past 10 years, all I’ve wanted to do is blow the system up because it doesn’t make sense. When I came here as a commissioner, I realized, it is not five lives in my household I have to take care of, it’s 24,000 kids I have to take care of,” said Feinman. “I need to make sure there is stability in the district. There has been too much turnover.”

“While many of us have serious concerns about specific programming and supports for students, we must also recognize the broader implications of failing to act tonight,” Maloy said. “Failing to approve this budget tonight would create ripple effects far beyond this boardroom.”

Simmons said she had discussed the budget matter with the city of Rochester’s legal department, the Big 5 School Districts, the state Education Department, and state Commissioner Betty Rosa. She mentioned that failing to pass a budget could impact labor law compliance, contractual requirements, and credit ratings. Further, the board could be given a citation by state Education Department, face removal, or heightened state intervention.

“We as a board are not here to rubber-stamp a budget and that’s been the message over and over again,” said LeBron-Harris in a response. “At this time right now, threatening elected officials either implicitly or explicitly by the board president with removal, sanctions, or intervention, which we already have, does not feel like informed consent.”

This quickly devolved into a shouting match when Simmons attempted to reclaim time from LeBron-Harris and defend her own words as statements, not threats.

LeBron-Harris began her comments at the budget meeting calmly, but she quickly became angry, interrupting and yelling, primarily directed at Simmons.

Continued outbursts caused chaos on the dias, and the board went into recess for several minutes. When the commissioners came back from recess, LeBron-Harris and Griffin had left their seats but returned when the final vote was taken a few minutes later.

“Through this budget and our actions, holding (the administration) accountable is what we have to do. Not argue amongst ourselves, but hold the people accountable,” McCullough said after one argument had subsided. “That is why I came here. That is why we are here. And if we can’t do that, then what are we here for?”

The sources for the $1.16 billion in the 2026-2027 approved budget follow historical norms, with most funding (72%) coming from the state. Thirteen percent comes from local sources and 5% from the federal level.

This year, the budget uses $23.8 million from the fund balance, a move that the district has opposed in the past. Rosser said this approach is necessary, but spending must come under control as the district could face financial instability in the ensuing years due to falling enrollment and uncertainty at the levels of upper government.

“Our current long-range forecast shows a potential gap of $61 million for next year,” he said. “Given the financial outlook before us, it will require discipline and continued partnership between school, home, and community.” 

Overall, 16.8 full-time employee hours were cut from the 2026-2027 budget compared to last year. Categories with cuts include civil service (56.5 FTEs), teacher (34.1), administrator (17.1), and building substitute teachers (1.0). Teaching assistants (57.0) and paraprofessionals (35) added FTEs.

The Home Hospital Program, which provides one-on-one instructional services to students unable to attend in-person classes due to physical, mental, or emotional illness, is being reduced from 36.5 to 21 FTEs in the current budget. While many community members advocated for the program’s continued staffing levels at public meetings, Rosser has consistently stated the system can be more efficient, citing past experience in the Buffalo City School District.

These concerns, as well as cuts to food service, school counselors, and special education FTEs were echoed by members of the community at a previous budget forum, which had over 50 speakers.

Local educational advocacy group the Children’s Agenda also released a report on the proposed budget, focusing on cuts to Social Emotional Supports, food service staff, and the Roc Restorative Team. The organization also called for greater transparency in the budget process.

This year’s budget process featured a pushed-back final vote and more board deliberation sessions than usual. This was partially due to budget delays at the state level, where lawmakers have passed 11 extenders beyond the original April 1 deadline.

The 2026-2027 RCSD budget will next go to the Rochester City Council for a joint public hearing on June 11 and final approval vote on June 16.

Jacob Schermerhorn is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and data journalist.

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