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Board pulls two safety resolutions, asks follow‑ups on sign‑language services, curriculum and summer‑school spending; task force to study 2027–28 budget
Summary
The board removed two public-safety funding resolutions from consent and asked staff for more detail on a $1M sign‑language contract, McGraw‑Hill curriculum costs, and summer‑school spending. Superintendent Rosser proposed a 21‑member budget task force to recommend cost‑savings by Dec. 18 to inform the 2027–28 budget.
During its July 14 meeting the Rochester Board of Education reviewed a packet of resolutions and removed two items from the consent agenda after commissioners raised objections about funding and priorities.
Commissioner Santiago announced opposition to resolutions 87 and 88, which would add funds for public‑safety related services; the board removed them from the consent list by motion (motion: Commissioner Lebron; second: Commissioner Griffin) and the motion carried without recorded roll‑call details.
Commissioners also pressed for detail on several otherwise routine procurement resolutions:
- Communication services (Resolution 81): Chief Swan said the $1,000,000 contract is for American Sign Language interpretation and family support tied to deaf and hard‑of‑hearing students and community events. Commissioners sought detail on how that contract intersects with existing related services and assistive‑technology supports for nonverbal autistic students and asked for follow‑up in the question log.
- Curriculum renewal (StudySync, McGraw‑Hill): Staff said StudySync is the district’s adopted 9–12 ELA curriculum and the current request is a renewal that adds paid professional learning (year‑2 PD that was free in year 1). Commissioners asked why parts of McGraw products were causing technology/implementation problems in current summer programming and asked the administration to rewrite and clarify the resolution and post cost breakdowns to the question log.
- Athletics and other program funding: Commissioners asked for clarity about allocations in the packet (for example, coaching lines and which schools—such as Padilla—are fielding teams); administration agreed to follow up.
Separately, Superintendent Rosser proposed a 21‑member budget task force composed of administrators, union leaders, parents, students and community members to meet twice monthly and deliver recommendations by Dec. 18 to inform the 2027–28 budget. The board supported standing up the task force and sought public engagement beyond the task‑force membership.
What happens next: The board voted to remove resolutions 87 and 88 from consent and to forward the remaining packet items (with planned amendments) to the business meeting. Staff committed to add the McGraw and ASL questions to the board question log and to provide clearer, itemized cost and vendor information before the business meeting.
