Superintendent defends cuts as board removes administrative-structure changes from HR approvals

The Rochester Public Schools board approved a set of human-resources actions on April 7 but removed the proposed administrative-structure changes after prolonged debate about equity and staff impacts.

Superintendent Kent Pel told the board the reductions were driven by "very tight, inadequate state funding, rising costs," and projected enrollment shifts, and that the district had already approved more than $60 million in reductions over the next five years. He described four senior positions he recommended eliminating to save about $250,000 a year, saying, "none of these decisions are ones I would choose to take for anything other than reasons of necessity." The positions named on the agenda included executive director roles for community education and for family engagement and youth empowerment, the director of positive behavioral supports, and the director of school…