The Rochester Board of Education has chosen Eric Jay Rosser as the district's new superintendent.
Rosser will be leaving Poughkeepsie City Schools to take on the role starting July 1, exactly a year after interim Superintendent Demario Strickland stepped in.
The announcement comes nearly a year after Carmine Peluso, the former superintendent announced he was resigning to take the superintendent job at Churchville-Chili, igniting this search process.
“Joining this incredible community is both humbling and exciting,” Rosser said in a statement. “I firmly believe that a strong partnership between school, home, and the community is essential to ensuring that every Rochester child has access to high-quality education experiences."
Rosser is described as a “systems thinker” in his bio page on the Poughkeepsie City School District website — someone renowned for his design and ability to apply “transformative strategies for all students,” with a history of coaching educational leaders.
He has also worked at Buffalo Public Schools, Atlanta Public Schools, and at the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) in Washington, D.C.
The school board elected Rosser in a four to two vote. Board member Cynthia Elliott was not present and did not cast a vote, while board members Beatriz LeBron and Isaiah Santiago cast a "no" vote.
Rosser will start with an annual salary of $280,000. That’s $50,000 more than interim-Superintendent Strickland’s contract.
The resolution to appoint him also included a daily rate for consulting services between March 8 – June 30 provided to the “District’s current Interim Superintendent, on an as-needed basis.” The amount listed for Rosser’s consulting is “1/240th of his annual salary,” which is about $1,167 a day based on the listed salary. The resolution does not indicate a maximum allowance for consulting fees.
“I remember myself as a student in the district during a time where there were changes in our country during the pandemic,” said Santiago, who graduated from School of the Arts in 2022. “And every time that there was a transition as a student in our leadership — certainly during a time where there was already an unstable world, an unstable country — it left the students education, not 100% there.”
Santiago and LeBron said the contract was too expensive for their liking. Recently-elected school board president Camille Simmons said compared with national trends, RCSD’s salary has been on the lower end.
“I could not support the most lucrative contract yet that RCSD is to give a superintendent,” LeBron said, listing concerns about how federal changes could affect families and schools. “I cannot support an outsider coming in at this time.”
Simmons gave Rosser some advice.
"Sir, walk softly and carry a big stick,” she said.
Rosser's selection makes him the Rochester City School District's fourth superintendent sine Terry Dade’s abrupt departure in 2020 after less than a year on the job.
Dade left Rochester for Cornwall, along the Hudson River, where he continues to serve as superintendent. Rosser will be moving from that same area to come here.
If the majority of the school board gets what it has said it is looking for — stability— this could signal the end of its leadership churn.
“The Board of Education invites students, families, educators, and community members to join in welcoming him to Rochester,” the district said in a statement.
