Rochester Public Schools proposes school closures, other measures to reduce budget deficit (2024)

Published: Nov. 27, 2023 at 10:13 AM CST

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – After voters rejected a more than $100 million referendum, Rochester Pubic Schools (RPS) has come up with a new ten-point proposal to try and help reduce the budget.

Released Monday morning, the district is calling the plan the “Attendance Options Redesign” proposal that will “change school attendance options, attendance boundaries and the transportation system.”

The 10 points by the school district are:

1. Redesign school attendance areas by setting a geographically defined area which would guarantee a student who is living in that area, would go to that school. The district defines the attendance area as “a walk zone and a district transportation zone.” Outside of the attendance area but within RPS boundaries as a whole, is defined as the “self-transport zone.” Families outside of the attendance area can still have their children attend the school, if there is space at that school. If more people apply for a school than there are slots available, a lottery system would pick which students attend that school. New attendance areas will be discussed at the RPS School Board meeting on December 5.
2. Discontinuing districtwide transportation for Districtwide Option Schools (DWOs) at the six current schools defined as a districtwide school. The district says these districtwide schools would get the same level of transportation as other schools in the district, for the school’s geographical attendance area. Any students outside of the new attendance area, could still attend the DWO as long as parents can provide transportation. RPS says the Attendance Options Redesign will not make changes to the curriculum or academic programs offered at DWOs.
3. Expand the School Age Child Care (SACC) Program by increasing the number of students who can attend this program. The district would plan to increase funding for compensation of SACC positions, implement new class schedules at the high schools to allow high school students to work at SACC and create new incentives for education support professionals (ESPs) to work at SACC by providing options for an eight-hour work day.
4. Expanding the Newcomers Program for Multilingual Students who have recently arrived in the United States and qualify as beginner learners, with an increased number of options in both the north and south sections of the district.
5. The Attendance Options Redesign includes the closure of three schools: Mighty Oaks Early Learning School, Pinewood Elementary, and Riverside Elementary. The district says these three schools were selected due to declining enrollment for the schools.
6. Under the redesign, Churchill Elementary School would become a K-5 school and Hoover Elementary & Early Learning School would only serve only early childhood students.
7. Lincoln K-8 would move into the building that is currently occupied by Riverside Elementary. The district says the expanded school would also serve the attendance area for most of the students currently at Riverside.
8. Longfellow Elementary would adopt a traditional calendar year and expand to grades K-8. The district says adding the middle school grades will allow the new school building to be fully utilized. Students moved to the new Longfellow building at the start of the 2022-23 school year.
9. The Middle School Right Fit program would restart in the fall of 2024 as an alternative learning center for middle school students.
10. Maintain support for students with disabilities. The district says adjustments may be made in locations of some programs for students with disabilities based upon the finalized version of the Attendance Options Redesign, but continues to say students identified for special education services will continue to receive the full service, including transportation if that is included in the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).

“The Attendance Options Redesign proposal is the result of two years of planning and analysis,” says Superintendent Pekel. “While the narrow failure of the technology referendum that Rochester Public Schools placed on the ballot on November 7, 2023, increases the urgency of finding savings in the school district’s transportation budget and in every other area of the district’s work, this proposal is not a kneejerk reaction to the defeat of the referendum earlier this month.”

New start times for the 2024-24 school year are:

• Elementary Schools: 7:55 a.m.-2:15 p.m.
• Middle Schools: 8:35 a.m.-3:15 p.m.
• High Schools: 8:50 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Transportation costs next year will also increased, in part due to a new contract between First Student and RPS. The new contract will increase transportation costs by 30%, and would add $3 million to the already $10 million transportation budget, should the Attendance Options Redesign not be passed by the School Board.

This new ten-point proposal must be approved by the Rochester School Board before February 1, 2024. This would allow the district to “implement new school start and end times for the next school year.”

To learn more about the Attendance Options Redesign, click here.

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