Rochester School Committee votes Thursday on police "no pass" school bus operation, $200,000 earmark
State law already fines drivers at least $250 for passing a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing. The meeting at Rochester Memorial School is also on Google Meet.
ROCHESTER Rochester's School Committee votes Thursday night on a "no pass school bus operation" from the Rochester Police Department, at a meeting that also covers new MCAS results and a $200,000 state earmark for special education.
The committee meets at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at Rochester Memorial School, 16 Pine St., and on Google Meet, according to the agenda the assistant town clerk stamped Nov. 10. The police item comes first under the agenda heading "General," worded as a vote "that the School Committee review a no pass school bus operation opportunity from the Rochester Police Department."
What the law already says
Under Chapter 90, Section 14 of the General Laws, a driver approaching a school bus that has stopped to let students on or off, with its red lights flashing, must come to a full stop and stay stopped until the lights go off, unless a police officer directs traffic otherwise. The law makes one other exception, for drivers coming from the opposite direction on a divided highway.
A first offense carries a fine of at least $250. A second brings a fine of $500 to $1,000 and the loss of the driver's license, with no new license for six months, and a third or later offense means a fine of $1,000 to $2,000 and a one-year wait for a license, the law says. The same section bars driving within 100 feet behind a school bus.
South Coast 360 has asked Police Chief Michael Assad Jr. what the operation would involve, who would run and pay for it, whether drivers would face citations and when it would start. South Coast 360 has also asked Michael S. Nelson, superintendent of the Rochester schools and the Old Rochester Regional district, what the operation would cover and for comment on it and on the MCAS results.
Test scores and the school plan
The administration is also set to present MCAS results. In the state's 2026 results for the Rochester district, 46% of students tested in grades 3 to 6 met or exceeded expectations in English, down from 50% in 2025, according to the state education department's district report.
In math, 53% met or exceeded expectations, compared with 54% a year earlier, and in science, which 62 students took, the share fell to 55% from 60%. Average student growth in math, which the department describes as how much a student learned compared with students in the same grade who had similar earlier scores, rose to 51 from 50, and growth in English held at 48.
Members are scheduled to vote on the 2026 to 2028 School Improvement Plan for Rochester Memorial School, and to recognize students in grades 3 to 6 for taking part in MY AMERICA, which the agenda calls a nationwide student art and civic engagement project celebrating the country's 250th anniversary this year.
The money on the table
The committee is set to accept $200,000 in state Fair Share earmark money that the agenda credits to state Sen. Michael Rodrigues. The state spending law approved June 12, Chapter 101 of the Acts of 2026, says the money "shall be expended to Rochester public schools to offset special education costs at the Rochester Memorial school." Five federal grants for fiscal 2027 are also up for a vote.
| Grant | Amount |
|---|---|
| State Fair Share earmark, special education at Rochester Memorial | $200,000 |
| Federal special education (IDEA), fund code 0240 | $122,301 |
| Federal special education (IDEA), fund code 0262 | $5,984 |
| Title I, Part A, basic programs | $15,392 |
| Title IV, Part A, student support and academic enrichment | $10,000 |
| Title II, Part A, supporting effective instruction | $5,966 |
| Total | $359,643 |
The five federal grants add up to $159,643 by our count. Rochester's earmark is one of the shares in the $3.14 million in state school earmarks headed to South Coast districts, which South Coast 360 reported Wednesday.
How to weigh in
The agenda includes a public comment period, and residents can attend in person at Rochester Memorial School, join on Google Meet at meet.google.com/odk-qdhd-rkc, or call 260-226-8957 and enter PIN 880 883 120#.
Rochester's schools belong to Massachusetts Superintendency Union 55, which shares Nelson as superintendent with the Old Rochester Regional School District. Questions for the committee go to Melissa Wilcox, executive assistant to the superintendent, at 508-758-2772, ext. 1956, according to the district's School Committee page.
What comes next
The business office is also scheduled to present its close-out report for fiscal 2026, and the agenda lists an initial budget review in January among future items. After Thursday, the Rochester School Committee next meets Thursday, Jan. 7, 2027, and the next joint school committee meeting is Thursday, Jan. 28, 2027.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
Every fact comes from the Rochester School Committee's Nov. 12 agenda, stamped by the assistant town clerk Nov. 10; Chapter 90, Section 14 of the General Laws; the state education department's 2026 and 2025 district MCAS reports and its Student Growth page; Chapter 101 of the Acts of 2026 and the department's fiscal 2027 Fair Share earmark list; the Old Rochester Regional district's School Committee page and its Oct. 7 news post; and the town's staff directory, all listed below. We read them between Oct. 20 and Nov. 11 and reread them the evening of Nov. 11. The agenda is a scanned document read as page images, and we added the grant totals ourselves. No student is named. Asked Nov. 11 and not yet answered: Police Chief Michael Assad Jr. and Superintendent Michael S. Nelson.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (9)
- Rochester School Committee Meeting agenda, November 12, 2026, 6 p.m.Rochester Public Schools, 3 pages, scanned; stamped received by the Rochester assistant town clerk Nov. 10, 2026, 8:47 a.m. Time, place, Google Meet and phone access, the police item, the improvement plan, the MCAS presentation, the grants and earmark, the FY26 close-out report and the January dates. Read as page images Nov. 10 and 11, 2026, and reread Nov. 11, 2026, evening.
- General Laws, Chapter 90, Section 14Massachusetts Legislature. The duty to stop for a stopped school bus with flashing red lights, the fines, the license revocations and the 100 foot rule. Read Nov. 11, 2026.
- MCAS state report, district level, 2026 and 2025, grades 3 to 8, all studentsMassachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, School and District Profiles; data last updated Sept. 22, 2026. Rochester rows: shares meeting or exceeding expectations, students included and average growth. Read Oct. 24, 2026; rows rechecked Nov. 11, 2026.
- Student GrowthMassachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. What student growth percentiles measure. Read Oct. 24, 2026.
- Chapter 101 of the Acts of 2026, item 1596-2517Massachusetts Legislature. Supplemental spending law approved June 12, 2026; the Rochester earmark language. Read Nov. 11, 2026.
- FY2027 Fair Share Earmarks, Fund Code 2518, list of eligible districtsMassachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Rochester, $200,000, with the same language as the law. Read Nov. 11, 2026.
- School CommitteeOld Rochester Regional School District and Massachusetts Superintendency Union #55. Rochester listed in Union 55; committee inquiries to Melissa Wilcox, 508-758-2772 ext. 1956. Read Nov. 11, 2026.
- Old Rochester Regional School District and MA Superintendency Union #55 Awarded Over $277,000 Through Five GrantsOld Rochester Regional School District, posted Oct. 7, 2026. Names Superintendent Michael S. Nelson for the district and Union 55. Read Nov. 11, 2026.
- Town of Rochester staff directoryTown of Rochester. Police Chief Michael Assad Jr. Read Oct. 20, 2026.