On September 5, 2021, Interim Superintendent Mr. Boucher gave his State of the Schools Address for the 2023-2024 school year at the joint Rock Island Rotary Club/Rock Island Kiwanis Club meeting at the QC Botanical Center.
Mr. Boucher was hired by the Board of Education back in June to serve as Interim Superintendent for the first-semester. By law, retired superintendents can only work 120 consecutive days. He started the address off by recapping last school year and sharing data.
2022-2023 School Year
- Last school year the district's enrollment was 6,060 students. This year the district's enrollment is 6,161 so far.
- The district continues to become more diverse in our student population. Last year there were 780 students eligible for English Language Learner services and this year we have surpassed that with 800 students.
- According to Niche.com (which pulls their data from the US Dept of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics), RIMSD is the 2nd most diverse school district in the state of IL; and the #1 most diverse school district in the Quad Cities.
- The district continues to offer breakfast and lunch at no cost to all students through the Community Eligibility Program grant.
- Last year, attendance was at 87.9 %, up from 86.4 % the prior year. This year, we are at 92.7 %.
- Last year, the average student-to-staff ratio: 19:1 (K-8) 21:1 (high school; and the teacher retention rate was 95.6%.
The district is in year four of our Strategic Plan RIM 2025. Our priorities remain: respectful relationships, equity & opportunity for success, and enhancing and improving operations. The theme “Pipeline to a Productive Future” stems from the various facets and definitions centered on the importance of pipelines.
Our educational pipeline analysis conveys the importance of viewing student progress as a continuum leading from preK through 12 education into postsecondary education, the completion of a college degree and/or the start of a successful career in a chosen field. Ultimately we are preparing students for life.
Our educational pipeline analysis conveys the importance of viewing student progress as a continuum leading from preK through 12 education into postsecondary education, the completion of a college degree and/or the start of a successful career in a chosen field. Ultimately we are preparing students for life.
Last winter, the district hired American Institutes for Research to conduct a district equity audit. The purpose of the audit was to develop an understanding of the root causes behind the gaps in student achievement so we can make informed decisions about where to invest our efforts and resources to ensure that all students can achieve high standards.
Rockstar Staff
RIMSD #41 has ROCKSTAR staff who are doing everything they can to make sure they excel in the classroom and/or in their areas of practice. They go above and beyond to get grants for those special projects and attend Professional Development outside of RIMSD time. Last year our district CQ team continued to lead staff through a series of sessions about anti-bias, inclusivity, and equity. We also held our second Educator of the Year Teacher Gala IN PERSON last April where we recognized teachers for the great work they are doing in and out of the classroom.
The Family and Community Engagement liaisons were in full force again last year organizing Ready to Rock; Summer Enrichment Focus with Community Partners and conducted Quarterly Community Luncheons where community, government, small businesses, and local colleges/universities collaborated with school and district leadership around ways to go deeper to benefit our students and families. The Partners in Education (P.I.E.) expanded the initial grassroots-level system to get parents involved in schools. The Family and Community Engagement Team recognized schools of the month, and parents of the month as new initiatives in the 22-23 school year.
Academics
- The district increased the number of AVID and honors level courses offered in jr. high and high school to a total of 51 courses.
- Career Education has been a focus at Rock Island High School and we have successfully worked with area organizations like John Deere, Crawford, McLaughlin, and Unity Point to provide paid internships for students interested in Welding or Nursing. We began conversations on adding an accounting apprenticeship and a technology apprenticeship.
- In the spring, we celebrated and signed agreements with RIHS students in our Education Internship Course; and over the summer we also had students intern with QC MetroArts.
- The district also saw an increase in the number of inclusion classrooms at the preK/early elementary level. This is extremely important as it provides students with special education services more time in the general education classroom.
- There were 357 students who graduated in the Class of 2023 Commencement Ceremony at the Vibrant Center. Many went on to college, the military, and trade schools. Some became entrepreneurs and launched their own businesses.
- This was the 2nd year of having district instructional coaches.
Capital Improvements
- We had many construction, security, and safety projects last year. Safety focus - Two years ago, all school renovations included restructured entrances to limit access to buildings. All persons will have to go through the main office or main entrance area where personnel buzz them in before gaining access to the rest of the school.
- Last year, we continued to enhance the installation of security cameras and updated intercom systems. In addition, a new key fob system to manage those who have access to each building was completed. In addition to physical safety measures, we worked diligently on cyber security protection. Two-factor authentication was brought in and our Technology Department is continually reviewing and analyzing systems to ensure our data is safe.
- There were many projects completed last school year including HVAC replacement in many buildings, new roofs on a number of buildings - 50,000 square feet, a new Administration Center and production kitchen, new fire alarm systems, a Parking lot, and hard surface playground replacement, and repairs throughout the district, a new elevator at the high school and a new lift at Ridgewood
bathroom renovations, a new entrance area at the high school cafeteria expansion, and a large amount of plumbing repairs.
ARP Expenditures
ARP funds were also used to support after-school programs, summer camps, and summer enrichment opportunities. We partnered with community organizations, such as Spring Forward, RIFAC, Common Chord, Love Girls, Black Spur, and many more.
Arts & Athletics
- Last year we had several students honored as All-State Musicians. Typically this is at the high school level but last year, we had several students from Frances Willard achieve this recognition as well!
- Our sports teams continue to excel and are often regional champions and are able to move on to the postseason. We have a number of seniors who sign Letters of Intent to take their sports career to college level. We also have many students recognized by the media for their accomplishments.
2023 - 2024 School Year
- We were fortunate again this year to honor the incredible support from the Rock Island-Milan Education Association. They provided our staff with $205,576.27 in PRIME grants for this school year!
- The school district’s focus this year is on attendance and behavior. This summer, the district began partnering with various community organizations to support one another for the enhanced success of our students and families. You may have seen yard signs around the community, large posters in our schools, and even window signs that were created to help send the message that education is important! We will continue the work around the Multi-Tiered System of Support implementation. A system-wide shift in meeting the needs of students whether it’s academic, behavioral, medical, or emotional. It’s about reaching the whole child. Students come here to learn but we know that’s not the whole story and our district is making it a priority to support Tier One instruction embedding the Multi-tiered system of supports will help each student get the support they need to grow academically.