Budget Analyses

The Rochester City School District voted to adopt the Draft 2026-2027 Budget in a 4-3 decision on May 12th, despite vocal opposition from parents, students, and teachers. While The Children’s Agenda is glad that the RCSD Administration responded to our advocacy by restoring some of the previously cut positions for social work, guidance counseling and Home/Hospital Instruction, we are deeply disappointed with the process leading up to the vote which ended up adopting budget cuts to these urgently needed programs while other programs remained untouched or were even increased. This speaks to a central concern of ours during the budget deliberations: Too often the decisions to cut certain programs were presented as a fiscal necessity rather than a choice and set of spending priorities. This budget does not make across the board cuts or address long-term fiscal challenges. Instead, it sacrifices specific programs and support staff to maintain or increase spending on other priorities.

The Rochester City School District (RCSD) 2026-2027 Draft Budget uses the district’s savings, significantly cuts support services for students (social workers and guidance counselors), and nearly eliminates Home/Hospital Instruction to balance the budget. However, many positions were also added throughout the book, the largest increase being for Special Education. While The Children’s Agenda has many concerns with the cuts made in the Draft Budget, we applaud the Superintendent’s investments in Special Education and English Language Learners.

The three focus areas of this report are Mental Health, School Climate and Suspensions, and School Meals, which were selected by the 70 parent leaders we work with in our Very Invested Parents (VIP) group. The Draft Budget makes deep cuts to social-emotional supports, alternatives to suspensions, and food service, which runs directly counter to our recommendations. We are also deeply concerned that no new mental health satellite clinics are opening next school year, leaving nearly 6,000 RCSD students without access to a clinic.

We call on the Superintendent and Board of Education to reverse the damaging cuts to mental health supports, social-emotional supports, alternatives to suspensions, and food service. We also need greater transparency and public discussion about the many sweeping changes being proposed in the Draft Budget.