Families told the board their children are being racially harassed, and that nothing happens when they report it. Several parents and grandparents spoke, describing a pattern rather than isolated incidents. One grandmother said her grandson has been called the n-word repeatedly, along with other slurs, and that he followed exactly the process he was taught. He went to his teacher, then assistant principal, then counselor. Each time, she said, he was told it would be taken care of, and each time the family got no explanation and no follow-up. She told the board he no longer wants to go to school. Another mother said her son was called the same slurs at Strough, was suspended three times for defending himself while the students who taunted him stayed in class, and twice reported racist comments to a teacher who told him to stop interrupting class. Her son, who is going into eighth grade, spoke briefly himself. A third mother described her daughter being slapped in a bathroom at Gansevoort by an older student. She said school staff first asked her daughter what she had done to provoke it, and that her daughter, now 12, is in counseling and reacts to any perceived threat.

A parent coalition gave the board a seven-point list of fixes. Ruby Rivera, founder of the Ember and Phoenix Project, spoke on behalf of the Rome Parent Advocacy and Unity Coalition and brought members of her youth advisory council to stand with her. She argued that what the board heard was systemic rather than a handful of bad days, and that the district's code of conduct does not line up with New York's DASA law (the state statute meant to protect students from harassment based on race, gender, disability and other protected categories). Her list asked the district to: fix the internal reporting system so DASA categories aren't misclassified; automatically trigger a DASA investigation whenever a report involves a protected category; require every DASA report to be documented in writing the day it's received, with written confirmation to families; open investigations within 48 hours and issue written findings within 10 business days; confirm in writing that families may bring an advocate or support person to meetings; enforce anti-retaliation protections for anyone who reports or speaks publicly; and publish quarterly DASA data by building and incident type while protecting student privacy. Another coalition member asked the board directly whether it stands with them.

The superintendent responded, though the board itself does not reply during public comment. Under the board's rules, members listen but don't engage while people are speaking. Superintendent Nerlande Anselme opened her report by thanking the students who came, saying that hearing them was a testament to the need for change, and that families sometimes feel nothing can be done when in fact things can be, but only if the district knows. She tied it to the district's annual action plan, whose second pillar covers social, emotional and physical safety.

A longtime resident told the board the district keeps asking for money without results. Dennis Perfetti opened public comment with a blunt critique. He said that the district repeats the same approach every year, asks for more money, and doesn't deliver, and that he expects next year's budget to fail. He said for-sale signs are going up in Rome's better neighborhoods because families want a stronger school district. He also pressed hard on the former Staley school, saying it should have come down five years ago, that a firefighter told him about a 10-foot hole inside that could injure or kill someone in a smoke-filled building, and that the property sits in a flood zone. He asked why the district is leasing the former Roman Catholic Academy instead of buying it.

The board voted to develop a $31 million capital project for a December vote. This was the decision the August 3 workshop was building toward. The board authorized the superintendent and the district's consultants to develop Scenario 2 of the three options presented. This means renovations at the Clough Pre-K Center including a gymnasium, café and auditorium plus demolition of the former Staley Elementary School, demolition of the existing stadium grandstands, and construction of replacement bleachers and a concession stand. The resolution also starts the state environmental review the project needs before it can go to voters. Important context for residents: this vote does not approve the project, the final cost, or the ballot question. It authorizes the work of pinning those down. The board still has to come back, adopt a final scope and financing plan, and formally call the December special meeting.

Here's where the money would come from. Assistant Superintendent for Business Dr. Georgia Gonzalez laid out the arithmetic. The district has $3.3 million sitting in its capital reserve, plus roughly $3 million in leftover funds from the 2025-26 school year that she plans to ask the board to move into that reserve once auditors finish, likely in September or October. That's about $6.3 million. The local share required for the $31 million project is roughly $8 million, leaving about $2 million the district would need to borrow. She said her goal is to find enough additional leftover money in the audit to close that gap and make the project zero tax impact. The rest of the project leans on roughly $19 million in federal FEMA and state emergency management funding tied to Staley's loss to flooding, along with about $1.6 million in insurance recoveries.

A board member spent nearly 20 minutes arguing the plan isn't ready. Rocky Capponi raised a series of objections and did not get answers he considered firm on any of them. On the lease of the former Roman Catholic Academy: he said he spoke with the city assessor and the Catholic Diocese of Syracuse that day and that the developer does not currently own the property, that the developer is waiting on district money to buy it, and that in his view the deal is close to falling through. If it does, he asked, where do more than 200 pre-K students go while Clough is renovated? Dr. Gonzalez answered that pre-K stays at Clough for this school year, and that she and a colleague have developed options for 2027-28 that would move students into buildings the district already owns; the construction managers have also said they can renovate a building while it stays occupied. Anselme said the district has not given up on getting state approval and that offering UPK is not optional.

He also questioned the stadium numbers and what happens to the Staley land. Capponi said that after reviewing the structural engineering report, he could not see how replacement bleachers, a concession stand and restrooms add up to the roughly $6.5 million figure he had been given, noting the bleacher structure alone had been quoted between $250,000 and $400,000, and that a repair a year and a half ago cost $480,000. He argued the district keeps applying band-aids and should fix the stadium support building, the gym roof and the grandstand in one project rather than across five years. He also warned that the current grandstand has nothing but small "do not enter" clips blocking access, and asked who is liable if someone is hurt. On Staley, he asked what the reuse plan is for the land after demolition. The answer was that there isn't one. Under the FEMA grant, nothing can be built on the site, and it sits in a flood zone. He noted the city has given interested parties until August 28 to come discuss options for that area, and suggested the board should be at that table.

The board's answer. One step at a time, and don't leave $19 million on the table. Anselme responded that the district has been deliberately taking things in stages because voters made clear in May and June that they cannot absorb more taxes, and that everything brought forward has been designed for a tax-neutral impact. She noted the FEMA money must be spent by 2029. Board Vice President Suzanne Carvelli explained the reasoning behind leaving the 20 classrooms out: those classrooms would be needed to move fifth graders to Clough, and until the district can see what effect the Chobani plant actually has on enrollment, a future proposition is the better time to add them and the stadium support building. Capponi pushed back that Rome cannot bank on Chobani, that the plant is two years out, and that families relocating for those jobs will compare Rome's schools to New Hartford, Whitesboro, Clinton and others. He said some Rome taxpayers are looking at increases totaling around 14% across city, county and school district. The resolution passed.

A new committee will tackle the projects left out. Board members said a new capital improvement or facilities subcommittee, including outside stakeholders, will start in September or October to plan for the work not in this project and to begin setting aside reserve money so those repairs can eventually be done with minimal tax impact.

The safety plan hearing got pointed questions about events and elementary schools. Before the regular meeting, the board held its annual public hearing on the code of conduct, district-wide safety plan and attendance protocol. Director of School Safety and Security James Sojda said the district has updated its emergency response plan, expanded the district-wide safety committee, and set up safety teams in all nine buildings with students. Two more security officers are being hired, bringing that team to eight. A resident pressed him on crowd control at athletic events, describing fights at basketball games and weapons found in parking lots, and asked what protections exist at the elementary schools. Sojda said the district is installing a weapon detection system for events, is standardizing single points of entry across all buildings, and wants security personnel in elementary buildings daily. On the equipment residents have been calling metal detectors, he described it as enhanced screening technology that will be operating at the high school first, with the plan to build out from there. The visitor check-in system that asks for a photo ID is ready across the district, with staff training scheduled for August 28 and 31.

Two changes to the code of conduct and attendance rules. Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Jennifer DePerno, reporting for the district's director of student support services, said this year's code of conduct shifts its disciplinary language from punitive consequences toward restorative practices, with formal definitions and operating guidelines added throughout. On attendance, the main change is that all students in kindergarten through sixth grade will now get a monthly attendance letter, not only those who have already missed more than 10% of school days.

The tax warrant was approved. The board confirmed the school tax roll and authorized collection of $40,673,781 for 2026-27, covering the city of Rome and the towns of Lee, Annsville, Western and Verona. Taxes are collected in two installments, payable without penalty in October and April. The resolution as written listed those months as October 2025 and April 2026; a board member flagged the error, and the board voted separately to correct it to October 2026 and April 2027 before approving the warrant.

Staffing, and a job fair before school starts. Anselme said the HR department is actively working to fill classrooms and support positions, and that the district is hosting a job fair at Rome Free Academy on August 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., recruiting teacher aides, teaching assistants, school monitors, food service, clerical and custodial staff, and a few teaching positions, with interviews scheduled on the spot. A full staffing update from Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Dr. Shaun Carney is due at the September 8 meeting. Staff return September 1 and 2 for conference days; students start September 3.

Two early literacy partnerships. The Rome NAACP has secured grant funding for an access and empowerment program aimed at children from birth through pre-K, partnering with the district and the Jervis Public Library. NAACP president Jacqueline Nelson said the kickoff is September 17 at 5 p.m. in the community room at Liberty Gardens, chosen because families in that area often lack transportation and many eligible children aren't enrolled in UPK. She also announced a free backpack and school supply giveaway, with the Oneida County Health Department on site offering vaccinations, citing measles outbreaks in neighboring counties. Separately, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program run locally by the Genesis Group and Perch Place Consulting has been approved for county funding to expand; the district said it has delivered more than 40,000 books to more than 200 children since 2023, at no cost to the district.

Routine business. The board approved the probationary appointment of Kristen Ball as assistant principal at Strough Middle School at $95,000, effective August 18 through August 2030. It accepted the retirement of building maintenance mechanic Michael Hrynuk, effective in November after nearly 21 years, granted tenure to Gansevoort special education teacher Katrina Batey, and approved an additional $68.47 a day for senior account clerk typist Kelsey Barbato, who has been covering the payroll coordinator's duties since June 30. The board also adopted its own governing documents for the year, the superintendent's goals, and the district's annual action plan, and approved a combined girls varsity swimming and diving team with Vernon-Verona-Sherrill. Board member Johnathan Roland reported back from a federal GEAR UP conference in Washington, D.C., on a college-readiness program that follows students from eighth grade through their first year of college. Rome's current eighth grade class at Strough is the cohort in the district's second GEAR UP grant. The next regular meeting is September 8.