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Parents and residents raise safety and budget concerns during Rochester speaker forum
Summary
Two public speakers at the Rochester City School District's Sept. 16 speaker forum urged the board to address student fights linked to 'Freddie Thomas' and criticized district spending and the approved budget share funded by state aid.
Two residents used the Rochester Board of Education's Sept. 16 speaker forum to press officials on student safety and district spending before the board's work session on governance.
Maria Gonzalez, who signed up to speak during the public comment period, told the board she had planned to discuss the budget but instead raised concerns she said affect students’ safety: “Freddie Thomas, since he started, been having fights outside by. The police has been involved, and the kids are bullying others and fighting,” Gonzalez said. She asked the board to “check that out because it's too early to have already problems with Freddie Thomas.” Gonzalez also described an ongoing issue at “number 50 school” affecting her goddaughter and asked the district to follow up.
Laurie Thomas addressed district funding and budget priorities. Thomas said preliminary figures show New York State aid for the Rochester City School District at $843,736,370 and asserted that state aid accounts for “almost 77% of the approved budget.” She criticized spending levels and wrote in part, “The money you are asking for does not come from the state, it comes from the people… We, the people, supply the funding you have misused to miseducate our children for far too long.”
What the board noted
Board President Dr. Lesli Simmons acknowledged the comments and said Superintendent Kevin Rosser, who was arriving from another meeting, would receive the public speakers’ concerns. The board then recessed briefly to proceed to the scheduled work session.
What was not decided
Speakers asked for help and investigation; the transcript records the public comments and the board’s acknowledgement but does not show a formal motion or follow-up plan adopted at the meeting. The board did not discuss or vote on any budget changes or specific safety actions during the speaker forum portion.
Ending: The public comment period concluded before the board’s work session; attendees will need to watch subsequent board meetings or contact district staff for any formal responses or follow-up actions from administration.
