Rockford — In an effort to better understand the results of its failed November 2025 bond attempt, and to plan for any future proposals, the district is gathering feedback through a community bond perception and engagement survey, available until Jan. 18.
“We’re hopeful that it garners a lot of information for us, and that a lot of people respond — not just parents, but also community members — to give us some insight into what we need to do to move forward,” said Superintendent Steve Matthews.
Lisa Jacobs, executive director of community services, said the survey is an opportunity to gain some perspective on what worked, and what didn’t, with the previous proposal.
“After a failed bond, we want to grow and learn and provide our students with the best educational experience while they’re here at Rockford Public Schools,” Jacobs said. “In order to do so, we want to make sure we listen to our community.”
The anonymous survey includes questions about the district’s educational and facility needs, its communication practices, and how it planned and prioritized needs during the bond rollout.
It also asks respondents about the degree to which they supported the $230 million bond ask in November, whether they believe the goals of that proposal matched the district’s needs, and how they received their information about that request.
“How people get information is really important to us, and we want to make sure that we have aligned our communication strategy with how people get information,” said Matthews. “And I think it’s really important for us to listen and hear some of the perspectives of the projects we had on that last bond.”
Rockford is working with Kent ISD on the survey, and will use what it gleans from the data to guide future bond attempts. Jacobs and Matthews both noted that the district doesn’t expect to go to voters with another proposal until 2027 at the earliest.
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