Trustees split over $1M intermunicipal agreement to pay RPD for school presence

Two resolutions proposing an intermunicipal agreement to contract Rochester Police Department officers to be present at school arrival/dismissal and at events prompted extended debate.

Commissioner Santiago urged tabling the full agreement and exploring evidence‑based, community‑centered alternatives, saying the proposed contract would cost about $1 million and equates to roughly $120 per officer hour. “I believe that RPD already has a budget, and so we'll be paying $1,000,000 extra dollars for us to do that,” Santiago said, and urged investing the funds in mentoring, conflict resolution and mental‑health strategies instead.

COO Jacob Scott and Superintendent Rosser said RPD provides operational supports including traffic control, incident intelligence and responses to violent incidents near buildings, and that the district has relied on RPD partnership. Several trustees—including Commissioners Feynman, Lebron, McCullough and Griffin—expressed principled opposition to paying additional police presence near schools, citing concerns about the school‑to‑prison pipeline and the effectiveness of police presence in preventing fights. The board recorded multiple stated no votes during the bundle of additional resolutions; administration agreed to work with the board to develop alternatives and to place the matter on the question log and future timelines for discussion before any renewal.