Parents and staff urge RCSD to protect School 12 bilingual pre-K and nature-based learning as budget cuts loom

After closing a charter hearing, the Rochester City School District hearing on May 19 shifted to an extended speakers forum where more than 20 parents, staff and union representatives described the district’s budget decisions as threatening vital programs and services.

Superintendent Rossler opened the forum by announcing a reversal: the bilingual pre-K3 classroom at School 12 will be reinstated for the upcoming year. He also said central office is pursuing philanthropic and grant funding to try to restore the nature‑based learning (NBL) instructional coach position.

Parents and advocates repeatedly asked the board to make those commitments permanent. Multiple speakers described NBL as a five‑year pilot that supports attendance, emotional regulation and academic engagement; they credited instructional coach Kira Stevenson with designing program infrastructure (gear, outdoor spaces, community partnerships) and said eliminating the role would effectively dismantle the model.

Speakers with children in School 12 emphasized the bilingual pipeline: Pablo Sierra, president of the Bilingual Education Council, and several parents said pre‑K3 classrooms are purpose‑built for very young learners and form an essential path into the OLA dual‑language continuum. Parents reported strong student outcomes, high attendance on NBL days, and social‑emotional benefits from the combined bilingual and nature-based approaches.

Multiple commenters raised special‑education concerns. Clara Washington and Karen Fellows told the board they have observed chronic understaffing in intensive classroom models and inconsistent delivery of Individualized Education Program (IEP) services; Fellows warned that proposed classroom reductions risked non‑compliance with the federal consent decree (N.N. v. Rochester City School District) and cited active monitoring on 21 benchmarks tied to outcomes and service delivery.

Union and staff speakers described personnel impacts of the budget plan. Jessica Reimbolt said 35 clerical positions are slated for elimination and argued that school secretaries perform essential payroll, ordering and safety functions that cannot be captured by a formula. Lisa Silverstein said 12 home‑hospital teachers received layoff notices even as the district posted new community liaison specialist positions with substantially higher salary allocations. Angelo Palmarini, president of the board of education non‑teaching employees, estimated food‑service hour reductions equivalent to roughly 25 full‑time equivalents and warned of turnover and service disruption.

Frontline educators and TAs spoke about pay and workload. Miguel Diaz and several parents said paraprofessionals and TAs face low wages (speakers cited starting pay figures of roughly $16–$20/hour), multiple required trainings and heavy emotional and physical demands; staff described multiple jobs and household financial strain.

Speakers pressed the board for clearer, earlier communication and more transparent budget rationale. They asked the district to prioritize sustaining evidence‑based programs that show measurable outcomes and to align budget choices with special‑education obligations and family engagement commitments. The forum concluded without a formal vote; the superintendent and board have indicated continued work to find funding and review staffing decisions.