Transparency for RPS Taxpayers

10/10/2026

The Rockford Squire – Wednesday, October 7, 2026 edition – Pg 2.
https://rockfordsquire.com/2026/10/07/the-rockford-squire-wednesday-october-7-2026-edition/

09/23/2026

👀𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗗: 𝗔 $𝟱𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗣𝗥 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀.

Hello, Rockford. Your favorite taxpayer watchdog has been doing a little reading. And wouldn't you know it? The paperwork has a story to tell.

Let's rewind to January 12, 2026.

Superintendent Dr. Steve Matthews presented his 2026 goals to the Board of Education. Under Pillar 4, Collaborative Culture, he identified two specific action items:

📋 Create and implement a survey strategy to gather community feedback on district initiatives.

📋 Hold multiple focus groups to explore community perceptions.

Now, fast-forward to the district's SeyferthPR proposal.

Among the services included in the $50,000 engagement?

🔎 Staff, parent, and community surveys.

🔎 Focus groups and feedback engagement.

🔎 Community engagement strategies and calendar.

🔎 Communications assessment, recommendations, and implementation support.

Sound familiar?

But wait. There's more.

The proposal also includes an assessment of the bond informational campaign, student enrollment retention and recruitment strategies, and a dedicated section for Non-Homestead Advising and Support, including voter surveys, messaging, direct mail, and digital outreach.

The price tag? $𝟱,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟭𝟬 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀. $𝟱𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝘁𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹.

Here's what the documents establish: Several services included in the PR engagement directly overlap with activities identified in the superintendent's 2026 goals.

Here's what they DON'T tell us: Whether the firm was hired specifically to help accomplish those goals, which services have been completed, or how the Board is measuring the results.

And that's where things get interesting. 🧐

Since July 12, we've been seeking the invoices, correspondence, meeting records, reports, and other documents related to SeyferthPR.

The newly received proposal answers some questions. Others remain unanswered.

💬 𝗜𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁'𝘀 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀?

The taxpayers deserve to understand what their $50,000 investment is producing.

Three documents. One interesting overlap. Plenty of questions.

09/23/2026

👀 SPOTTED: A $50,000 PR contract and some very familiar goals.

09/22/2026

This is a great way to show your support 👏

📬𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀!

I’m looking for volunteers who are willing to write and send postcards to people in our community.

If you have a Christmas mailing list, club mailing list, or another group of Rockford-area contacts, this can be an easy way to participate and share information about my campaign.

• 20 postcards cost approximately $13 in postage.
• If you choose to cover the postage, it can be recorded as an in-kind campaign contribution.
• I also have campaign funds available for postage and can pre-postage the cards for you.
• If you don’t have a mailing list, I have addresses available for you.

If you’re interested in taking a stack of postcards, just let me know!

09/18/2026

Fix the Dam Downspouts!

𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭. 𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Last year, Rockford Public Schools identified student safety and security as a major component of its $230 million bond proposal, including electronic door locks for classrooms. The bond did not pass. The district then asked the community what mattered most, and 79.4% of survey respondents identified upgrading safety and security as quite or extremely important.

Now, the Sept. 10 Building & Site Committee notes show nearly $𝟏.𝟖 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬:

• $137,000 for the Parkside fire alarm system
• $826,532 for Harv turf replacement
• $818,935 for RHS auditorium lighting

The committee is also discussing a proposed perimeter fence at Meadow Ridge Elementary.

I am not suggesting that aging infrastructure, fire systems, fields or auditorium lighting don't matter. They do.

But when we have students whose safety needs require additional protections, we have to ask: 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭?

That is the kind of question I will continue to ask.

I have advocated for student safety before, including security improvements that could be funded through our Sinking Fund. I will continue to listen to parents, staff and students, look closely at the numbers, and ask for transparent priorities.

𝐀𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫, 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞.

Because our job isn't simply to maintain buildings.

𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 🧡
https://www.rockfordschools.org/downloads/boe/2026-files/public_packet_9.pdf

09/16/2026

You never know unless you ask.

Before I share what I've learned through research and FOIAs I've be...

09/01/2026

We applaud Lady Budgetdown 👏

08/20/2026

This is why transparency and oversight matter. An error involving millions in projected school funding was identified and has now been publicly corrected. We appreciate the district taking steps to ensure the community receives accurate information.

CORRECTION: The Fall edition of the Rampage featured a letter from the superintendent that included an error on page 2. If approved, the non-homestead operating millage would generate $9.5 million annually or approximately $1,200 per student.

Keep an eye on your mailbox! A Non-Homestead mailer is on its way to you. Don't miss out on what it has to share!

08/11/2026

Transparency is about giving people enough information to form their own conclusions, not telling them what to think. Read the original letter. Read the response. Then decide for yourself.
𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬? 🤔
We want a community where people feel safe asking questions, expressing disagreement, and holding elected officials accountable. That's not division. That's democracy.

When Does a Board President Speak for the Board?I respect the responsibility Mr. Folsom carries as president of the Rockford Public Schools Board of Education, and I appreciate that serving in a leadership position is not always easy. A board president is expected to facilitate the work of the board...

08/06/2026

Did you see today's Letter to the Editor? 📰

"Too many boards are now full of insiders, not representatives for families. The current system rewards conformity." Seems to resonate here too 😬

In Michigan and around the U.S.A., leaders fail to serve children, silence those who notice