Rochester Board begins budget deliberations as five‑year forecast shows mounting gaps

The Rochester Board of Education opened its first round of budget deliberations on April 14, as district leaders walked members through a preliminary $1,033,326,690 spending plan and a five‑year forecast that projects mounting deficits if current trends persist.

Chief McDowell, who presented the revenue and expenditure summary, said the plan assumes roughly $827 million in state aid, about $119 million from the city, $28.5 million in local revenue, $4.5 million in federal funds and an appropriated fund balance of roughly $23.9 million. Expenditures include about $513 million for instruction, $207 million for benefits, $101.6 million for debt service and roughly $91.8 million for transportation.

“The total budget is $1,033,326,690,” Chief McDowell said, adding the district faces a projected gap of approximately $23.8 million in 2027 that grows to about $60M–$128.8M in later years if costs and revenues hold steady. He singled out charter costs, health insurance, transportation and staffing as the primary cost drivers.

Superintendent Roster cautioned the board that the document is preliminary and does not yet reflect final state or federal allocations. He told the board the administration has identified restoration scenarios and “Plan A, Plan B and Plan C” contingent on legislative action and additional grants.

“We are waiting to hear critical information on the enacted state budget,” the superintendent said, urging commissioners to treat the book as a working document that will be adjusted when final aid figures arrive. He also told the board the district had recently received nearly $1 million in philanthropic gifts and a $3.5 million increase in school‑improvement funds that are not yet incorporated in the published book.

Board members asked for more time to deliberate and asked the administration to provide contingency projections showing what restorations or cuts would look like under different state aid scenarios. Commissioner Santiago said two deliberations are not sufficient for “a $1 billion budget,” and multiple commissioners asked for updated figures on key lines—social‑emotional supports, home‑hospital instruction and school‑level allocations—before the public hearing on April 21 and the second deliberation on April 28.

Administration indicated it can provide targeted updates for the most sensitive program lines and reiterated that some restorations have already been made with identified internal efficiencies.

What happens next: the board will hold a public hearing April 21, meet with City Council the week of April 20–27, hold its second deliberation April 28 and vote on the budget May 5. The administration said it will continue daily contingency planning pending the enacted state budget.

Ending: The board paused deliberations to gather additional data and scheduled follow‑up sessions; commissioners and district staff said more updates would be provided before the final budget vote.