Rochester board adopts general fund amendment, approves facilities and contract items
Summary
The Rochester Community Schools Board of Education on Dec. 8 approved a general fund budget amendment and several facilities and contracting items, including drainage easements for the Delta Kelly drain, phase 2 of a water-filter project, an energy-study agreement with Trane, HVAC work at two schools and science-room ventilation. The budget amendment passed 6–0.
The Rochester Community Schools Board of Education voted Dec. 8 to adopt a general fund budget amendment and approved multiple facilities and contracting measures, district staff said.
Board action: The budget amendment — presented by Mr. McDaniel, the district’s finance lead — updates the district’s revenue and expenditure estimates after the state school-aid budget was signed Oct. 7, 2025. Staff said the amendment anticipates additional allocations still pending from the state (including a mental health/safety allocation referred to as 31AA, and career and technical education funds) and adjusts for a roughly $5 million pass-through for UAAL retirement costs. The resolution to adopt the amendment passed on a 6–0 vote.
Why it matters: Staff told the board the amendment reflects increased state aid and higher local property-tax receipts tied to rising home values, but also higher projected benefit and retirement costs across the district’s workforce. Projected revenue under the amendment was presented around $234.5 million with estimated expenditures near $238.0 million, reducing the use of fund balance from earlier projections.
Votes at a glance: Alongside the budget amendment, the board approved a set of facilities and contracting items:
- Delta Kelly drainage easements and assessment agreement: The board authorized three easement agreements to add the Delta Kelly drain to Oakland County’s system and authorized Nicholas Russo to sign the documents. Staff said the county will manage bidding and maintenance; trustees asked about maximum district exposure to costs. The easement agreements were approved 6–0.
- Filter First program, phase 2: The board approved phase 2 of the district’s Filter First program, adding 38 bottle-filling stations and 125 inline filters at a cost of $753,822 to be paid from the general and sinking funds. Trustee Lecui asked why the lowest electrical bidder was not selected and raised questions about how allowances and contingency fees are estimated. The motion passed 5–0–1 (one abstention).
- Energy and sustainability agreement with Trane: The board approved a nonbinding agreement with Trane to perform an initial assessment of potential energy projects that could be funded by a future energy bond; the motion passed 6–0. Staff described this as a preliminary study only and said further approvals would be required before any projects or bonds are issued.
- HVAC and science-room projects: The board approved awards to replace tempering coils at Reuther and Van Hoosen schools for $268,425 (sinking fund) and a $158,618 science-room ventilation and chemical-storage upgrade across the high schools (sinking fund). Both measures passed 6–0.
What trustees asked: Trustees pressed staff on several implementation details, including vendor selection criteria (why the lowest electrical bid was not chosen for parts of the filter work), how allowance and contingency estimates are calculated, whether the district has staff capacity for expanded preschool seats, and how grant allocations will be reflected in future amendments.
Next steps: Staff said some state allocations are still pending and that additional budget amendments are likely in February or March 2026 when award letters are received; any projects identified by the Trane assessment would return to the board for approval before financing or construction.
Sources: Board presentation by Mr. McDaniel; motions and roll-call votes recorded during the Dec. 8 board meeting.
