The City of Rochester is asking the State Education Department and the State Legislature for permission to cut its fiscal ties with the City School District...following news that the district overspent its budget last fiscal year.
Meanwhile School Board member Beatriz Lebron...who questioned the district's finances through the budget process...says people should wait for actual numbers on the size of the problem before jumping in and demanding investigations.
Those audit numbers are due October 8th. But some reports have put the deficit as high as $50 million. Lebron has called for Van White to step down as school board president...and Willa Powell to quit as finance committee chair. White says he won't quit because it would send the wrong message.
There are several calls now for investigations into how that happened, one coming from Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, and others from State Assemblymen Harry Bronson, Assemblyman David Gantt and State Senator Rich Funke. They want the state comptroller to look into the investigation and also into any possible criminal wrongdoing at the district. Congressman Joe Morelle has also called for a federal investigation.
The new District Superintendent, Terry Dade, released a video statement Sunday night on Twitter, saying that he has assembled a team of audit and finance personnel to review everything and lay out the steps to be taken. He said he’s not envisioning layoffs this school year, but predicted tough choices to be made and said they would be kept as far from the classroom as possible.
Beatriz Lebron says it will ultimately be Dade's responsibility as superintendent to make any cuts and other changes that may be necessary.