Welcome

Good afternoon,

Highlights of the Board of Education meeting on Monday, February 9, include the following:

• Approved purchasing of 7 new buses.
• Approved opting into two School of Choice programs:
  • Kent ISD Collaborative School of Choice Program (students from any Kent ISD school district)
  • Section 105c School of Choice Program (students from contiguous ISDs).
    The School of Choice application window opens in April; details can be found on district webpage: Enrollment Procedures - Rockford Public Schools
• Approved classroom furniture for the Freshman Center and Rockford High School.
• Approved policy changes to public participation at Board meetings:
  • The public can sign up to speak via a google form linked within the meeting notice for each board meeting date. This signup must be done by 5:00 PM on the day of the meeting.
  • The public can sign up in person at the RPS Admin Building starting 30 minutes before the meeting. In-person signup will begin at 5:30 PM for the 6:00 PM board meeting.
• Outdoor education presented a report on their activities this year.

As a reminder, Board of Education meetings now begin at 6:00 PM.  Board of Education meeting information can be found on our district website including a link to a video of each meeting.

This week there was an incident across the street from Rockford High School. In consultation with the Kent County Sheriff’s Department, it was determined that the Freshman Center, the high school, and Roguewood Elementary should go into “secure mode.” Our students and staff responded well and there was no panic or concern at any of the buildings. This is a good reminder of why we practice our safety protocols. Information can be found on our district website: Security - Departments - Rockford Public Schools

As a reminder, we have Standard response Protocols that we follow to keep us safe. Our response to an incident is determined by the incident. In this case, the incident was not a direct threat to the school and was outside and away from the school. Thus, we went into secure mode which means there is not a direct or immediate threat. We kept students in the building, they were free to travel inside the building, and we monitored the doors to ensure that the threat did not escalate.

The Rockford High School production of Les Miserables is scheduled for the weekends of March 13 – 15 and March 20 – 22. Tickets are available at Ludus - ROCKTIX

The state budgeting process will begin shortly. To remind the community, the Governor first proposes her budget, then the House and Senate propose their budgets. Then the three parties work together to reconcile and develop a final budget. Governor Whitmer was scheduled to unveil her proposal February 11.

As a reminder, our district must have an approved budget for the 2026-2027 school year by June 30.

Our mid-winter break is scheduled for this weekend – February 13 – 16. School will resume on February 17.

Steve

Dr. Steve Matthews

Superintendent

Rockford Public Schools