Rochester district to eliminate elementary behavior interventionist roles after grant cut; parents and staff urge reversal

Rochester Community Schools officials said they will eliminate the district’s elementary behavior interventionist positions after a roughly 50% reduction in 31AA grant funding, a decision that district administrators and board members said was required by falling one‑time funds.

The announcement prompted extended public comment at the Board of Education’s May 19 meeting, where teachers, school psychologists, parents and behavior interventionists described the positions as critical to preventing and responding to student behavioral and mental‑health needs.

The district’s assistant superintendent of human resources, Matt Murphy, told the board that the grant that helped fund the positions was cut by about $1.7 million — roughly half the prior allocation — and that the elementary roles funded out of that grant were being sun‑set. “These positions are funded by 31AA funding, which has been cut for this year by 50%, totaling around $1,700,000 going forward,” Murphy said. He added that 9 REA employees (about 7.5 full‑time equivalent positions) are now considered displaced and that the district will place those certified staff in other jobs consistent with seniority and certification requirements.

Teachers and staff who addressed the board said the interventionists provided tier‑2 social‑emotional learning support, crisis intervention, classroom lessons and restorative practices that reduced office discipline referrals and supported teachers. “Eliminating this role not only undermines this progress, but also leaves a critical gap in the support systems that help students build the emotional regulation and conflict‑resolution skills they need to succeed,” Jenny Hamilton, a behavior interventionist, said during public comment.

Other speakers supplied district activity counts they said were produced by the interventionist team: 2,502 individual student sessions, 2,244 group sessions, 678 classroom lessons, 238 peer mediation sessions, and 665 crisis responses in the past year — figures cited by a parent and by interventionist staff during comments. “They’re not just putting out fires, they’re preventing them,” parent Christie Kalaszewski said.

Board members approved the human resources recommendations containing the staffing changes as part of item 7.2. Trustee Shashar Gupta moved approval; Trustee Allspa seconded. The vote to approve the board packet human‑resources recommendations carried 7‑0. Trustee Gupta announced he would abstain on a separate bills vote because of a robotics invoice connection.

District leaders said they are developing an alternative, smaller model for elementary social‑emotional supports intended to be sustainable without grant funds, and that they will attempt to use leftover grant dollars to partially support any transition. “We are planning a more sustainable model that could still utilize a lesser amount of remaining grant funds with the expectation that that model could continue with or without ongoing additional grant funding,” Murphy said.

Superintendent Matthew Russo and staff acknowledged community concern and said they would present details and timelines to principals and families. Several parents asked the board to reconsider the decision or identify other budget lines to preserve the positions. “Please consider the implications of removing this role,” Hamilton told the board. “Kids feel safer at school because of us.”

The administration said employees being displaced are entitled to other district positions consistent with contract and certification rules; placement work was under way. Murphy also noted that as pandemic‑era and other temporary grants sunset across districts, similar difficult staffing decisions have been necessary elsewhere.

District leaders said they would return to the board with a written plan for the redesigned support model and timelines for principal and family communications. In the meantime, parents and staff who spoke asked the board to either reverse the elimination or find other local funding, and many warned of increased strain on teachers and possible safety and liability risks if early intervention services are reduced.

Ending: The elimination of the elementary behavior interventionist positions is effective for the coming school year as reflected in the human resources action the board approved May 19. The administration said it would continue to refine a replacement model and work to reassign displaced certified staff; the board did not vote to restore the positions at the meeting.