Rockford Public Schools Produce Interactive Map to Show Need for Bond Referendum

ROCKFORD-In an effort to convince voters to approve a $139,000,000 school bond referendum in November, the Rockford Public Schools has launched a new School Improvement Interactive Map. By going to www.rps205.com and clicking on the "Learn About the Bond Referendum" link on the home page, web visitors will be directed to the bond section of the web site where they'll find a left-hand navigational link to the map. Users can click over the map with a mouse to see a list of needs for each school.

School officials argue the money is needed for important upgrades to schools that are an average of 57 years old. "Our administrative team, together with our board, spent more than a year developing a comprehensive plan to upgrade all of our schools," said Interim Superintendent Robert Willis in a news release."Together with our expert facilities program manager, we are beginning to prioritize those needs and keep the plan flexible so we can continue to gather public input, optimize our cost savings and create better school buildings in order to provide a better educational environment for all staff and students."

While no organized opposition to the bond referendum has yet surfaced, school officials clearly feel the referendum could be a tough sell for voters. They have also arranged for public school tours showing the need for improvements and are reportedly planning a media blitz before the November election to build public support.