BUFFALO, N. Y. — The District Parent Coordinating Council expected to be in Buffalo Public Schools classes all year.  

Last week, the district told the group the parent facilitator program was ending.

"The parent facilitators need to be continuously employed,” said Sam Radford, DPCC’s president. 

The group called on the district to reinstate the program.  

“We should be working to get more parents involved,” Radford said Thursday. “The last thing we should be doing up here is fighting for something that is already in place."

The facilitators serve many roles in schools, from coordinating event and performing administrative work to maintaining a parent room, acting as a link between parents and administrators. 

"It's a job that I really love, I really enjoy and when we were called over to be told that we were no longer parent facilitators, I was highly disappointed," said Kellie Bolden, one of the facilitators.

"For me, this is an emotional topic,” said Jacqueline Andrews, another facilitator. “I love being a parent facilitator. I love and value this position. It was way more than volunteering.”

Parent facilitators are under district contract from September to June and are given a small budgeted stipend, paid for with federal funding. 

"This undocumented policy change carried out by administrators and lawyers is not only unfair to our parents but also to the taxpayers of the district," said Kevin Lafferty, public advocate with the council.

District leaders say they were ready to go with the program, until an IRS audit said it was unlawful for them to operate it under its current model, and had to stop it.

"This is what the federal government has indicated, that we need to engage in or abide by," said Eric Rosser, associate superintended for student support services for BPS.

While the district figures out what to do with the federal funds, leaders still encourage parents to volunteer.

"The work of educating our children is the work of the community,” said Rosser. “We value our parents as partners in this work."

Despite the public outcry, council leaders say they remain confident the district can find an immediate solution to restoring the program.

"What we have to do now is make sure they understand this is a priority for us," said DPCC’s Radford.

Rosser said the district remains open to recommendations and suggestions.

The council is expected to appear at the Buffalo Board of Education Meeting on October 18th.