Schools: New District 205 board seated, interim superintendent to be named Friday

By Jim Hagerty
Online Editor

With three incoming members officially seated, the new school board began conducting business at the Tuesday, April 26 meeting of the Rockford Board of Education.

After several tributes to longtime educator and board member Alice Saudargas, Tim Rollins (Sub District-B), Laura Powers (Sub District-G) and Ken Scrivano, who replaces Saudargas in Sub District-C, were sworn in by outgoing President David Kelley.

The new board wasted no time in taking votes centered on selecting an interim superintendent to replace Dr. LaVonne Sheffield. Led by new President Harmon Mitchell, the board moved to close the application process for the interim position. Members will now review applicant resumes before a special public meeting at the end of the week.

The board is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m., Friday, April 29. Mitchell said the board’s goal is to name an interim superintendent who will “captain the ship” beginning Monday, May 3.

In addition to naming Mitchell president, members also voted unanimously to name Jude Makulec (Sub District-D) vice president and Sub District-A member Lisa Jackson secretary.

In her final board meeting, Superintendent Dr. LaVonne M. Sheffield urged new leaders to “stay the course,” before sarcastically wishing them, “good luck.”

Sheffield’s last day with the district is Saturday, April 30. She resigned earlier this month after approximately two years into a four-year contract.

The Rockford Board of Education meets each Tuesday in open session. For the past several weeks, public meetings have been held at Ellis Arts Academy to accommodate large crowds. As of this report, Friday’s meeting will be held at the Administration Building, 201 S. Madison St.

Administrators are searching for a larger, permanent venue, officials said.