The Rochester Board of Education is pushing for Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small to step down.
Commissioner James Patterson confirmed the board wants to cut short her contract. The move was first reported by the Democrat and Chronicle on Wednesday.
According to another source with knowledge of the matter, Myers-Small had received negative evaluations over the course of the school year. On Tuesday night, the board and the superintendent met to go over her performance review, and board members told her they want her out.
A spokesperson with the City School District said they would not comment on the matter.
Teachers union president Adam Urbanski said he’s not surprised that Myers-Small would be pushed out, but he would like to see this resolved before the beginning of the school year.
“We should avoid any unnecessary delays,” Urbanski said. “Because if this is not resolved, by the time that kids are scheduled to return to school, this will be the preoccupation of central office rather than focusing on the needs of our students.”
Patterson said while the board also would like to have this resolved before the school year starts, the process shouldn’t be rushed. He’d like to see a national search for a permanent replacement.
“We’re not going to rush this process,” Patterson said. “I know exactly how the community feels, what the pulse is, and (with) this next superintendent, I’m hoping to do our due diligence so he or she decides to stay for a long period of time.”
Myers-Small stepped in as superintendent in May 2020, after the former superintendent, Terry Dade, left for a position in downstate New York. Dade had been superintendent for just under a year.
Urbanski said while this latest development marks further instability in the district’s administration, he’s hopeful for a positive outcome.
“Clearly, a revolving door of superintendents coming and going, can be disruptive,” Urbanski said. “But at the same time, every time a new superintendent a new administration comes in, that represents an opportunity to do better than before.”
