Interim Rochester School Superintendent Linda Cimusz has presented an $870 million budget proposal to the school board.
The budget plan includes a $24 million gap, with the hope that increased state funding will cover much of that. Cimusz’s budget indicates that the RCSD is likely to see an increase in state aid of between $10 million and $20 million.
Her plan calls for minimal reduction in staff and reducing current vacancies in non-essential positions.
The budget also calls for no new programs or major increases and maintaining programs and services at the current levels. The plan does call for adequate funding for schools to show demonstrable improvement in the next school year to avoid schools being controlled through independent receivership.
Cimusz also says that student enrollment has been shrinking, with the number of K-12 students decreasing by nearly 9,600, or 26 percent, over the last 16 years.
The budget shows that savings achieved in the current school year has totaled just over $20 million, while the original budget called for about $40 million in savings.
There will be public hearings on the budget March 22 and April 14 with the school board scheduled to adopt a plan on May 10, and City Council to approve it on June 14.
