An amended budget given by Rochester School Superintendent Terry Dade to the city schools’ Finance Committee Tuesday night calls for eliminating more than 340 positions, 280 of them teachers.
The district needs to close an $85 million budget gap for the next school year. That comes on top of a budget gap this year that cost more than 100 jobs over the winter.
Dade’s amended budget also calls for closing Schools 20 and 43, reducing funding to the East High School partnership with the University of Rochester by $6 million and bringing a middle school back to School #3.
Before the finance committee meeting, the district held a virtual public hearing on the budget, recording citizen comments by Zoom.
Teachers spoke out, urging the district not to consider a proposal to furlough teachers during the year to save money. Several people called for School Resource Officers to be let go in favor of retaining as many school counselors as possible.
Aamon Scanlon of the Children’s Agenda said plans to drop 31 social workers will interfere with counseling that is required by state law.