Improving area schools a priority for businesses, too

By Sean F. Driscoll

BusinessRockford.com

Before he’d passed through the door at SwedishAmerican Hospital, before he’d even set foot in town, Dr. Zaheer Sheikh wanted to know about Rockford’s schools.

Hospital officials responded with a flurry of information about the gifted and talented program at Auburn High School and helped arrange a meeting with Sheikh and school officials. His 15-year-old son will start there in the fall; his 9-year-old boy will be at the private Iqra School in the city.

“We were very satisfied with the schools in Wisconsin. That was one of the major factors, if not the most major, in coming to Rockford,” said the rheumatologist, who moved to Rockford from Tomah, Wis.

Sheikh’s concerns are far from unique for families choosing to relocate to Rockford. The quality of a Rockford education — and the availability of educated workers here — have made the Rockford School District a flashpoint for city businesses.

A study looking at how school board members are chosen is the latest in a line of initiatives aimed at increasing Rockford’s educational profile. Mayor Larry Morrissey, one of the driving forces behind the study, will discuss the matter, plus other education-related initiatives, at a Rockford Chamber of Commerce business luncheon Thursday.

Time for action
Many business leaders are all for the study, saying anything that can be done to improve school performance would be welcome.

“We will really never truly know just how much school performance or poor performance within our public schools is affecting our local economy,” said Karl Gasbarra, president of Rockford Area Realtors. “Many times, site selectors will look at a community for a client and eliminate the community before we even know they took a look at us. They may look at our school performance and decide to go no further.”

Gasbarra said people being recruited for a job do the same thing.

“Many of our transferees — and we move over 100 a year here — after they do their online research and talk to the HR department locally and their potential new co-workers, they already have an idea of what they’re looking for,” he said. “Unless they’re considering private schools, on their initial call they will say to us, ‘We don’t want to look within the Rockford School District.’ We get that call all the time from people moving in.”

Waiting for results
And while the study is a step in the right direction, businesses want to see some data before deciding to do away with elected school board members.

“My perception is there’s a fear that it’s going to be an appointment to meet the needs of special interests,” said Don Daniels, vice president of clinic management at SwedishAmerican Hospital. “School board members represent the voice of the community. I think that’s the concern.”

Drag on whole region
Janyce Fadden, president of the Rockford Area Economic Development Council, said the confidence of local businesses in the Rockford district declined in 2007 after three straight years of growth, according to the latest Voice of the Customer survey.

Although the survey is regionwide, the Rockford School District’s population dwarfs other schools and, therefore, represents the lion’s share of data for Boone and Winnebago counties.

“They draw down the numbers, not that many of the other school districts are doing that much better,” she said. “That’s a problem for us.”

Along with making a move to Rockford a hard sell, poorly performing schools means businesses aren’t sure whether they’ll have an educated work force at hand.

“There’s a shift in business, and it’s especially prevalent in what’s happening in factories,” Fadden said. “With the high technology that’s happening on the factory floor, it’s very difficult to take workers from our high schools. They’re not adequately prepared to go to the factory.”

Reach staff writer Sean F. Driscoll at 815-987-1346 or sdriscoll@rrstar.com.

Overview of elected school board issue
What’s happened: Mayor Larry Morrissey and Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen want to know whether an appointed school board, rather than an elected body, would make for a more efficient system. The Rockford Area Economic Development Council’s Rockforward! Leadership Council endorsed a study to examine the issue.

What’s going on now: City staff are researching the issue, and Morrissey said he wants to hear from experts on school governance.

What’s next: Morrissey and Christiansen want an advisory referendum on the fall ballot to gauge support. If it’s successful, the city and county will have to lobby state legislators for a change to the law.