Superintendent previews school readiness, Strive for 5 attendance push and transportation plan

Superintendent Fredric Rosser told the Rochester Board of Education on Aug. 28 that the Rochester City School District is preparing to open the 2025-26 school year on Sept. 4 and highlighted building work, staffing, transportation assignments and a new attendance campaign called "Strive for 5."

Rosser said 13 capital projects were completed over the summer—items he listed included roof and HVAC upgrades, window and door replacements, parking and site lighting work, interior renovations, nurse-suite updates and fire alarm and electrical improvements. He said security systems were enhanced and LED lighting was installed in many instructional spaces.

Staffing and vacancies: Rosser reported staff vacancies as of the day before the meeting: 24 classroom-teacher vacancies, 1 non-classroom teacher vacancy, 8 paraprofessionals/teaching assistants, 2 clerical for a total of 35 vacancies in teaching and learning; and support-staff vacancies of 2 custodial, 2 food service, 5 transportation and 1 safety/security for a total of 10. Rosser said these figures represented a 94% reduction in vacancies since 2022.

Transportation and placements: Rosser said 1,025 transportation routes were assigned to more than 225 locations (district, charter, private, parochial and urban-suburban routes) and that family notification letters had been mailed. He said students with approved transportation exceptions from the prior year were prioritized and that remaining adjustments would take effect Sept. 8. Chief Scott (transportation) told the board that while the district still is recruiting bus drivers, staff and vendor coordination had filled routes and that the district can reassign staff with CDLs, combine routes or use substitutes as a short-term fix.

Commissioner questions: Commissioner Lebron asked how the transportation vacancies (noted as five vacancies earlier in the meeting) would affect route coverage; Rosser and Chief Scott replied they could not supply an exact route count immediately but reported plans to use staff with CDLs and mechanics to cover routes if necessary. Rosser also provided placement figures for students still awaiting school assignment: 220 students total (130 general-education students, 52 students with exceptionalities, 26 English-language learners and 12 combined special-education/language-support cases). Commissioners observed that placement notifications scheduled for Sept. 8 mean some students could miss the first days of school.

Attendance campaign: Rosser launched "Strive for 5," a campaign aimed at reducing chronic absenteeism. He said Rochester—s chronic-absence rate historically has been high, and the goal is to encourage families to send students five days a week and to identify and address the systemic barriers (transportation, scheduling, home needs) that prevent daily attendance. Rosser described partnerships with local organizations (the Rochester Education Fund, WDKX, city departments and rec centers), an attendance survey for families, and plans to tie communications into community events and school functions. Student representative Eli Gispada (SLC president) also reported student-organized efforts after his school community petitioned over a personnel decision.

Next steps: Rosser noted superintendent conference days on Sept. 2 and 3, planned staff training during those days, and a planned Oct. event to report findings from his 100-day plan tracker.

Ending: Board members asked for route-impact numbers in the question log and emphasized the connection between transportation, placement and attendance as the district starts school.