The Children’s Agenda wants the district to pare back cuts to special education and English language learner programs.
School budget
Comptroller’s audit criticizes RCSD
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli gave a harsh account of the Rochester City School Districtโs payroll processes this morning, calling them โdisorganized, highly decentralized, and not administered uniformly, resulting in errors that are costing taxpayers.โ DiNapoli made the statement as he released a new audit of the district, conducted from July 2014 to October 2016, which […]
Budget gap grows for Rochester schools
A little over a month ago, Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas cautioned school board members about a budget gap for the 2014-2015 school year that could top $30 million. But he revised that projected gap to $42 million at a recent board meeting. Vargas said the increase became apparent after hearing Governor Andrew Cuomo’s state […]
Week ahead: Council vote on school budget, Lej vote on Dem funding and Northampton Park
This post has been updated to include a link to the county’s environmental statement for the Northampton Park plan.
[UPDATED] Week Ahead: RCSD and city budget hearings, Cuomo cancels, RPO lawsuit proceeds
The Rochester school district will hold a public hearing on Superintendent Bolgen Vargasโs proposed $728 million spending plan for the 2013 to 2014 school year. The budget has been criticized by parents because it includes closing School 30. Parents are also concerned about implementation of the new core curriculum and its impact on rigorous programs […]
City school district tackles the budget — again
It’s a position no one would envy. For the second time in this year’s budget cycle, Rochester school district officials are having to cut their budget, and more jobs and programs are on the line. Critics, including Mayor Bill Johnson, State Assemblyman David Gantt, and some business-community leaders, have repeatedly charged that the […]
Reader feedback 7.21.04
WXXI and ‘Democracy,’ the schools crisis, moving billboards, the Ginna sale
The tough road ahead
As expected, last Thursday City Council turned down the Rochester school district’s pleas to give it the funding it wants. The vote came on a technical point: Mayor Bill Johnson’s budget gives the district $7 million less than the city charter stipulates, and Thursday’s vote was on amending the charter. The vote on the […]
A call to action
There’s a crisis in our schools — and the budget’s a distraction When City Council votes on the Rochester school budget next week, odds are it will do what Mayor Bill Johnson wants it to do: give the district $7 million less than it has asked for. One reason is that the city has […]
Oh, just let โem fail
Far be it from me to suggest that the editorial page at The Other Paper is racist. You can draw your own conclusions. Here are excerpts from recent editorials in the Democrat and Chronicle: May 16, on the Rochester school district, which will have to cut crucial programs if it doesn’t get more […]
Reader Feedback 5.14.03
Invest in schools As I began to read Charles Deering’s comments on the Rochester school budget (The Mail, April 23), I settled in to enjoy his sarcasm as he imitated ignoramuses who believe that schools are not the most important investment we can make. Imagine my shock when I realized that his ludicrous comments were […]






