From Democrat & Chronicle
Rochester-area nonpartisan nonprofits The Children’s Agenda and ROCtheFuture are holding a public information forum Thursday aimed at helping demystify the current budget crisis in the city school district for parents.
In a tweet, ROCtheFuture said “This session will inform you on what caused the current budget crisis, how decisions about money are made, how you can influence the RCSD budget, and what you need to know for 2020 & beyond.”
As first reported by the Democrat and Chronicle, the city school district is facing a potential $55 million to $60 million budget shortfall in the next school year.
The shortfall has resulted in layoffs that were initially expected to be more than 150 but were reduced to 109. Staff have been reallocated and last week RCSD Superintendent Terry Dade unveiled a plan to reconfigure schools 44 and 57 as pre-K centers, amid other changes to the city’s pre-K program.
Presenters at the event Thursday will include Eamonn Scanlon, education policy analyst at The Children’s Agenda and Jackie Campbell, director of ROCtheFuture. The speakers are also providing media availability at the event.
NYCLU, Teen Empowerment, Citizen Action of New York and Parent Leadership Training Institute are all cosponsors of the event.
The district is also holding a two-hour session on budget training for the public at East High on Feb. 20.
Where and when?
Making Sense of the RCSD budget: Hosted by The Children’s Agenda and ROC the Future. 5.30-7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, Rochester Educational Opportunity Center, 161 Chestnut St., Rochester,
The event is free and parents can register at thechildrensagenda.org/events.
RCSD Budget Training: Hosted by the Rochester City School District and the RCSD Office of Parent Engagement. 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, East High School, 1801 E. Main St., Rochester.