HENRIETTA, N.Y. — In three weeks, a revised spending plan will go before voters in the Rush-Henrietta school district. That’s what the school board decided.

This comes after the superintendent proposed cutting $1.3 million from the budget that was voted down last week by just 15 votes.

“It was an understatement to say I was surprised. I was very surprised and by that margin,” Superintendent Barbara Mullen said of the budget being voted down.

Mullen told News10NBC she plans to cut one administrative position and there are some proposed changes to the food program, but her goal is to prevent staffing cuts.

The revised budget will go before Rush-Henrietta district voters on June 18.

It was a packed house at the Rush-Henrietta Board of Education meeting Monday; however, only three people spoke during the public forum and only one of them commented on the proposed school budget.

Sherrolletta Scissum says her son was an honor student and graduated from the district in 2013. Now that the board has approved the revised plan, Scissum says she will definitely vote in favor of it on June 18.

“Some revising of things for the best interests of the students is what is definitely going to be needed,” Scissum said.

After the loss of federal COVID dollars, the district will be absorbing $3.1 million. Mullen says she believes they have a student-centered budget.

“What we heard very clearly from our community is that they want those dollars to be in the classroom,” Dr. Mullen said.

She is looking to cut one administrative position, which was a coordinator for recruiting, and prevent staffing cuts. Some other areas the district is looking at include the community meal program.

“Our ability to be able to support our students with the feeding program. The community feeding program allows us to really think about how do we use the funds we set aside for that as well,” Mullen explained.

Before the meeting, district resident Nancy Grady said two of her kids graduated from the district. Grady missed out on voting last week but is in favor of the budget. She is happy to have a second chance to vote on June 18.

“I thought, I don’t need to vote, it always passes, but it did not this time and so this time I am going to do the re-vote,” Grady said.

The last time a Rush-Henrietta school district budget failed was 25 years ago.

Mullen wanted to clarify that the deputy superintendent position was approved by voters in last year’s budget. Her salary increase will be 2.75% each year, which is lower than her teachers and administrators.

As far as furniture upgrades to administrative offices at a reported cost of $60,000, she says she believes it is less than that and they go through state contractors. The furniture hasn’t been replaced in years.

The deputy superintendent position was approved by voters last year in a budget. That particular position goes in direct support of principals and the four new assistant principals the district added to the schools to be able to further support with culture, climate and instructional practices, Mullen said.

“Much of the most recent research talks about the role of principals, and they are one of the most important outside of teachers in growth and achievement for students. With some of those lags and outcomes for our students with COVID, something like 45% of our students at the proficiency level for ELA (English and language arts) we felt that that was an important investment that we really waned to make. That’s the chief role of the deputy superintendent,  Mullen said.

Many parents and teachers expressed concerns about the district is “top heavy”

“We do have other superintendents but they support in curriculum instruction, student services, operations and human resources. There was no one here directly coaching, providing that support directly to the schools directly in that way,” Mullen said.

We brought many concerns of the community to Superintendent Mullen and asked multiple times about one of the top concerns which many said was the high bump in salary for administrators.

Mullen said many people were confused about the salaries because of the way it was laid out in the budget plan as required by the state. 

“What people noticed was that the deputy superintendent position that was approved last year in the budget, when it was a deputy superintendent position, it was required to move to the central administrative line according to the state. It was delineated between the superintendent salary and deputy superintendent salary, but it just said administrative salaries. And that included mine and hers. So, it did look like it was doubled. But maybe we didn’t get everybody and we will continue to tell the truth and explain. Hopefully, that clears up any confusion,” Mullen said.

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