Rochester City School parents rally in Albany: Here's their message to NY leaders

Chad Arnold
New York State Team

ALBANY – Dozens of Rochester City School District parents, students and education advocates traveled to Albany on Tuesday to deliver a message to state lawmakers: fund our city's schools.

The group was demanding the state disburse the more than $86 million in education aid they say is owed to the embattled district, which is currently dealing with the fallout of a $65 million budget gap announced earlier this year.

"This money is imperative to make our students competitive in the local, state and global market," said Rakia Hardaway, a teacher from Edison Career and Technology High School, one of nearly 50 schools in the district. 

The budget shortfall has raised questions over the district's handling of funds and led to nearly 100 teachers being laid off last month, sparking widespread outrage and prompting students to walk out of class in protest.

RCSD Superintendent Terry Dade was in Albany to meet with lawmakers but did not speak at the noon rally, where questions surrounding the management of the funds went unaddressed. 

Those in attendance instead raised concerns over the district's underfunding, which prompted accusations of racism by some who charged lawmakers are unwilling to properly fund the the mostly minority district. 

If a similar situation was playing out at a primarily white district, they contended, lawmakers would be quick to act.

"This is the Ferguson of education in New York state. We're not having it anymore," said Rosemary Rivera, the co-executive director of Citizen Action of New York, referencing the 2014 shooting of a black youth by a white police officer in Missouri.

More:RCSD layoffs: Recalls further reduce teacher cuts

What about state funding?

Dozens of Rochester City School District students, teachers and educators were joined by education advocates in Albany on Tuesday demanding the state Legislature disburse more than $86 million in state aid to the embattled school district.

Advocates at the rally argued the school district's future lies with the state releasing the aid owed to the district, which is calculated using a complicated, and some say antiquated, formula.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo during his State of the State address last week vowed to continue to close the gap between poor and wealthy schools in the state, pointing out the 70% of state funding already goes toward poorer districts.

He will release his budget plan later this month for the fiscal year that starts April 1.

"Use state funds to raise those at the bottom. Fund the poorer schools and close the education gap. And let's do it this year," Cuomo urged lawmakers during his speech.

Education groups are seeking $2 billion in additional state aid for schools in the budget after getting $1 billion more in the current year.

Funding for education is always a contentious issue in Albany, which will likely be further complicated this year due to a $6 billion budget deficit the state is facing. 

New York spends 90% above the national average on per pupil education — which has increased 42% since 2012. 

But the state's school-aid formula created in 2007 — which calculates the amount of state aid a school district receives each year based on a community’s economy, ability to tax and need — has long been criticized. 

Assemblyman Harry Bronson, D-Rochester, said he plans to make filling the Rochester City School District Budget gap his top priority this session at a rally in Albany.

The state, advocates said, veers from the formula every year and as a result, owes districts $3.8 billion in school aid, including more than $86 million for RCSD.

Cuomo has contended that the state has well exceeded any commitments made in 2007 and the formula used by advocates is misguided.

Nonetheless, state lawmakers said they understand Rochester's plight.

"We at the state must make sure that Rochester gets its fair share especially given the struggles we are facing in the city of Rochester," Assemblyman Harry Bronson, D-Rochester, said at the rally.

Bronson said he plans to "fight each day this session" to ensure the district's budget gap is filled.

Senate Education Chair Shelley Mayer, D-Yonkers, Westchester County, echoed similar sentiments.

"Let me speak for other colleagues in the Democratic conference: There is no higher priority for us in every part of the state then education," she said.

More:RCSD teacher cuts approved over objections from crowd. Here's what happened during board meeting.

A closer look at the issue

RCSD's budget woes first came to light in September following an audit that found rampant over spending in the district.

A report from the district's Chief Financial Officer Everton Sewell in May, however, said the district's finances were on track and balanced.

That report has prompted questions over mismanagement in the district and has led to a series of outside investigations, including one from the state's Comptroller's Office.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in November subpoenaed the city for documents pertaining to the school district's budget shortfall. 

More:State of the State: 10 takeaways from Andrew Cuomo's 2020 address

Advocates speak out

But advocates on Tuesday said the current financial issues facing Rochester City Schools is the direct result of years of underfunding. 

"There are answers to this," said Andrew Pallotta, president of the New York State United Teachers. "And the answer is money."

Pallotta said the state should look to tax the wealthy in order to address school funding gaps going forward — something Cuomo and Senate Democrats have been opposed to.

"Maybe, just maybe, they could pay their fair share," Pallotta said of rich New Yorkers.

"The entire country is watching what is going on," Pallotta told supporters.

More:RCSD Superintendent Terry Dade: Tough budget decisions today lead to a better tomorrow