Rossi: Anti-Bullying Law a 'Knee-Jerk Reaction'

What does new Superintendent Dr. Michael Rossi see as his biggest challenge?

“To make sure we can sustain the level of excellence parents in the community have rightly come to expect from the district,” he said, “and to make sure we are working diligently to find funding sources to maintain that excellence.”

Rossi is hopeful the district will host another public forum dedicated to school funding. He said he has personally spoken to District 27 Assemblywoman Mila Jasey, who indicated that she and state Sen. Richard Codey and Assemblyman John McKeon would come to Madison in the fall. 

“We are hoping to … continue our dialogue about fair funding and equitable distribution of state aid,” Rossi said. “Maybe that means some deregulation on the part of the state Department of Education. But we also have to get elected officials to understand that many of their decisions come with a lot of strings and costs to districts which I don’t think they realize when they pass these laws.”

Unfunded mandates such as the new anti-bullying program, he said flatly, need to stop.

“[Unfunded mandates] do nothing to help the quality of education, and without them we would double productivity,” Rossi said. “We need local elected officials to advocate for us.”

Rossi noted that the new harassment and anti-bullying law requires a staff member in every school building as well as someone district-wide—but not principals—to handle investigations.

“So, the people that are most involved in student management cannot be the point people for this new law,” he observed. “It’s absolutely going to be a cost burden on the district and time-consuming and probably breaches confidentiality, and invites lawsuits.

“I mean, how will superintendents in big school districts handle individual requests for investigation? The law was a knee-jerk reaction that did not involve discussion with school officials. It was well-intentioned but a prime example of the disconnect between elected officials and how public education really operates.”

Rossi said that the district has to have seven individuals in place by September.

“We are still formulating our own specific plan but we are looking for more guidance," he said. "It’s all going to be done internally, working within the confines of our existing budget and structure. And, that’s just one of dozens of unfunded mandates.”

“It’s just a mess.”