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Technology Referendum for the Rochester schools

PlanScape Impact(s): Children & Youth ; Commitment ; Education ; Governance/Public Policy ; STEM ; Technology Enablement
Public Pinned Report on Rochester Public Schools Strategic Plan led by Rochester Public Schools
Last modified: September 29, 2023

Contents

Highlights


 

1. Post Bulletin: Rochester 10 Year, $ 10M+ school funding referendum Op ED PB: Kent Pekel: "Why I recommended a technology referendum for the Rochester schools"; 2. School Board Study Session; 3. Official YouTube Presentation

 

Contents


 

 

 

Abstracted from: Post Bulletin Op ED August 19, 2023 

 

School Board Decision

At the RPS School Board meeting on Aug. 1, the board voted to approve my recommendation to place a referendum on the ballot in November that would ask voters to approve $10,150,000 in funding each year for a 10-year period to support technology operations, upgrades, and related initiatives. 

 

Fund allocations to replenish RPS General Fund

 Approval of the technology levy would enable the school district to redirect approximately $7 million from the school district’s General Fund that is currently used to finance technology services to instead support teaching, learning, student mental health, and other priorities.

 

Federal Covid Dollars Replacement

 $3 million of the $10,150,000 that the levy would generate each year would enable RPS to invest in new technology or to replace federal funding for technology that the district received during the COVID pandemic but that ends in September 2024.

 

Average Out of pocket to homeowner

If approved, the capital projects levy that I recommend the School Board place on the ballot in November 2023 would result in an increase of $135 in the taxes paid by the owner of an average-priced home in Rochester (which is currently identified as $325,000) each year — or $11.25 per month.

 

Usage of funds for technology

 Examples of the resources we could purchase or sustain include:
  • Software and hardware to keep students and staff safe both inside and outside schools and to protect against future cyberattacks
  • Computers and tablets for students that will enable RPS to continue providing every student with a device for learning, which the district first achieved in 2020 thanks to federal COVID funding
  • Software applications that advance priorities of the RPS Strategic Plan, such as accelerating student learning in reading and math and helping students develop and implement plans for success in postsecondary education and a career.

 

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August 1, 2023 School Board Meeting

 

 

 

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Official RPS YouTube Messages

 

 

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Message on X

 

 

 

 


 

 

More information 

 

 

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Related Reports


 

Other Rochester Public Schools Strategic Plan Pinned Reports


April 25, 2023 : Rochester Public Schools Strategic Plan 2022

1. 2022 Strategic Plan and extracted sections. 2. RPS Strategic Plan Building Blocks 



August 09, 2022 : Plans to Strengthen Belonging and Behavior During the 2022-2023 School Year



March 28, 2022 : RPS School Board Meeting - 3/22/22

Strategic Action Plan - Focus Group and Survey Results



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Pinned Rochester Public Schools organization and project reports


.

Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : September 15, 2023 : RPS Board Consider Updating District Equity Policy

RPS Board Study Session video recording; Proposed Equity Policy; PB Reporting



Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : July 26, 2023 : 2022-2023 RPS Disipline Data

"According to the district’s data, suspensions increased from 1,224 in 2021-22 to 1,523 in 2022-23, representing a jump of 24.4%."



Project Report of Rochester Public Schools Strategic Plan : April 25, 2023 : Rochester Public Schools Strategic Plan 2022

1. 2022 Strategic Plan and extracted sections. 2. RPS Strategic Plan Building Blocks 



Project Report of RPS American Indian Education : October 06, 2022 : American Indian Education at RPS

 October 10, 2022 Indigenous Peoples' Day



Project Report of Rochester Public Schools Strategic Plan : August 09, 2022 : Plans to Strengthen Belonging and Behavior During the 2022-2023 School Year



Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : July 20, 2022 : Outcome and Discipline Data 2021-2022

RPS 2021-2022 Monitoring Reports



Organization Report: March 29, 2022 : Rochester Public Schools Board Self-Evaluation

2022 RPS School Board Self Evaluation Framework; Video Recording



Project Report of Rochester Public Schools Strategic Plan : March 28, 2022 : RPS School Board Meeting - 3/22/22

Strategic Action Plan - Focus Group and Survey Results



Project Report of Family and Community Engagement (RPS) : January 12, 2022 : Family and Community Engagement (RPS) Report

January Family Engagement Video Recordings



Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : July 21, 2020 : Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) 2019 -2020

2019 and 2020 RPS Data: July 14, 2020 School Board Meeting, 2019-2020 First Semester, Achievement and Integration Plan Updates 2020

 



Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : September 23, 2019 : Analysis of RPS referal data

Phil Wheeler analysis of RPS referral data.



Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : July 17, 2019 : Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights)

2018-2019 Report presented to RPS school board and comparison with 2018 reporting. 



Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : August 24, 2017 : August 2017 Update of June 27 RPS Board Study of 2016-2017 discipline data

August updating the 2017-06-27 RPS Board Study of discipline data with school breakdown. 



Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : March 09, 2016 : Consultant interim identification on barriers

Great Lakes Equity Center has identified 6 barriers for equity progress.



Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : January 05, 2016 : An openBEAM 5+1 proposal to address school disciplinary dispairty

 The Rochester Public School District is taking the first steps to address a disproportionate disciplinary rate for black and Hispanic students. A community engagement session to get input and solicit involvement from community members will be held at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 7 at Riverside Elementary School. I believe that conversation is necessary but not sufficient. We need to follow up with actions. Here is a 5+1 action plan.

 



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