RCSD layoffs hit elementary teachers hardest, union says Union leaders are urging the school board to hold off layoffs and seek more state aid, Dade says district's financial hole will only get deeper and he does not want to depend on more state funding.

Brian Sharp | Democrat and Chronicle

Rochester schools Superintendent Terry Dade expects to spell out as soon as this week the school-by-school impacts of planned layoffs.

Those job cuts, specifically when it comes to teachers, will hit elementary schools hardest. But not uniformly, according to the union, as layoffs are based on seniority.

"It ranges from zero (layoffs) in some schools where you have no novice teachers to as many as 13," said Adam Urbanski, president of the teachers union.

Notices went out last week to 152 teachers; 218 district employees in all, effective Dec. 31. Of those, the union counted 112 teachers at district elementary schools.

The layoffs are part of district efforts to address $30 million in overspending last year, and an equal or greater projected shortfall in the current year. Combined with the elimination of dozens of vacant positions, the district expects to save $10.4 million, and avoid $3.7 million in potential costs from new hires.

Union leaders are urging the school board to hold off, seek an advance in state aid and hear what state auditors and federal investigators sort out.

"Believing anything they say now about their budget requires blind trust," Urbanski said, "and a lack of logic."

But Dade insists waiting only will require more layoffs, as the district's financial hole will get deeper. A preliminary report from the state Comptroller's Office is expected before the school board votes on the spending cuts on Dec. 19, he said.

"Right now, I am still anticipating a pretty much intact plan moving forward on the 19th," Dade said on Friday, based on early feedback from school board members. "I think everyone understands the severity of our current state."

For parents, there is anxiety and as yet few details to calm concerns.

"If you are going to get rid of teachers at that (grade school) level, it is going to be extremely concerning," said Walida Monroe-Sims, who has two children at district high schools and three grandchildren at elementary schools. "The question is, what is the plan of action ... to make sure that our students are still achieving?

"Teachers and students are the casualties of this nightmare — and it's really, really sad," she said, blaming district and union leadership alike.

The Rochester Teachers Association has scheduled a drop-in session for impacted teachers on Monday to discuss unemployment benefits, prospects for recalls and other matters. Plans are in the works for a job fair, Urbanski said, as Syracuse, Buffalo and surrounding suburban districts, including Greece, are looking to hire.

Dozens of vacancies also are being eliminated, some of those currently filled by long-term substitutes. Combined with other staff shuffling that will be set off by the layoffs, the union expects more than 150 classrooms to be disrupted mid-year.

Said Urbanski: "This will throw our schools into chaos."

Dade expects no more than 150 classrooms to be impacted, and lays out a far different scenario.

Changing class sizes

Average class size in district grade schools will go from 19.2 to 20.25, according to the district — underscoring a staffing issue that allowed classes to exist with fewer than 10 students. "Every effort will be made," Dade said, to cap maximum class size at 21 for kindergarten, 22 for first through third grade, and 25 for fourth through sixth.

The district contractually cannot exceed 25 students for kindergarten through third grade; 26 for fourth through sixth.

But while reductions will result in some same-grade class consolidations, Dade said there would be no merging of different grades into one classroom. Asked about disparate impact, he said there are many reasons one school might see more or fewer layoffs but that the impact on each individual school would be part of assessing job cuts. Any unintended consequences will be rectified immediately, he said.

As for mid-year disruptions, those can and already do happen for myriad reasons, including illness and parental leave, Dade said. The changes, he says, requires talking with students ahead of time about what to expect, getting them excited to welcome a new teacher, and allowing the new teacher into the classroom early to start building relationships.

"Now it's important that (the school board) — indeed, the entire community — take the time to deliberate over Superintendent Dade's staff reduction proposal and assess the impact any proposed cuts will have on our students, families, staff as well as the steady progress which we have made in recent years," School Board President Van White said in a statement.

White said voting by the board "...will not take place until we have thoughtfully and thoroughly considered the impact of each and every staff reduction on each and every one of our students."

When initially presented, the potential reductions were described as teachers to be cut, administrators, teachers assistants — language and descriptions relevant to parents and students. The latest charts, however, categorize jobs cuts by RTA, BENTE, RAD or ASAR, all acronyms for the unions and emblematic of a longstanding criticism that the district is more focused on the adults than the children.

State aid may not be forthcoming

Dade's financial plan leaves $20 million to $25 million to be gotten in additional state funding. Critics of the cutbacks say the district should be focusing its efforts there as, under the state's own funding formula, RCSD should be getting tens of millions more dollars in aid than it receives.

School board member Willa Powell last week was asking for an update on the lobbying effort, what form it could take, and whether board members could play a role.

The update is that there has, as yet, been no ask, and no lobbying.

"There has been significant contact with the state to let them understand our system's fate," Dade said. "Our conversations thus far have been, 'We want to make sure you understand our current state, and (that) there is no secret pot of money we should be pulling from right now."

He said he has made it clear he does not want to go deeper on job cuts than the proposed 5% staff reduction: "Anything beyond that, I get extremely concerned about the stability of our district. Period."

But he also does not want to rely more on a state bailout or spin-up. And given the state's own financial concerns, the reception in Albany is not at all certain to be welcoming.

"I'm not sure what the state can do, or whether or not the state should be doing anything," said Assemblyman David Gantt, D-Rochester, the most senior member of the local delegation, who argues it is well past time the district get its affairs in order.

"I haven't heard from anybody, not a soul," asking for additional financial help, he continued, adding: "That doesn't surprise me. I think they believe they can run to the state and get whatever resources they need."

Monroe-Sims, the parent, sees all this as further reason for the state to take a greater oversight role in the district. She supported Mayor Lovely Warren's push for a temporary state takeover, and echoes Urbanski's skepticism in district budgeting — but draws a different conclusion.

"I don’t blame the state holding off disseminating more funds," she said, "because once those funds come to the district, how are those monies disseminated?"

BDSHARP@Gannett.com

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