The Jefferson Street Pedestrian Bridge over the Rock River in downtown Rockford. (Photo courtesy of Jefferson Street Bridge Facebook)

ROCKFORD

KIshwaukee principal named

Elementary principal of year

After being named Elementary Principal of the Year in her region by the Illinois Principals Association, Kishwaukee Elementary School Principal Aimee Kasper was named 2016-17 Elementary Principal of the Year for the entire state.

The award recognizes elementary school principals who have demonstrated a positive impact on their students and learning community.

The Elementary School Principal of the Year winner was selected from a pool of region nominees provided by the 21 Regions of the Illinois Principals Association. Mrs. Kasper was recognized at the IPA’s Education Leaders Fall Conference in Springfield last week and will receive a $1,000 honorarium.

This award affords her the opportunity to participate in the National Distinguished Principal of the Year event, in Washington, D.C.

ROCKFORD

School board again

sets flat tax levy

The Rockford School Board has agreed again to freeze its tax levy for the upcoming tax cycle. The School Board agreed last week to set its levy request at $143.3 million, the same levy requested as last tax cycle.

This is the fifth consecutive year that RPS 205 elected to hold the line on tax collections by levying well below its allowable rate. It has done that, in part, by not collecting tax revenue that would be generated by claiming tax increase factors such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate, new property credits and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) recovery credits.

The levy for the tax year 2016 is an estimated $7.79 per $100 of equalized assessed valuation, or EAV. That compares to $7.935 in tax year 2015. That means a taxpayer could keep 14.5 cents for every $100 in EAV of his or her home. For the owner of a $100,000 home, the savings would be roughly $50 in school taxes.

Over time, RPS 205 has reduced its portion of the tax bill to less than 52 percent of the total property tax bill — the lowest percentage of school districts in the region. The portion of the tax bill for education in neighboring districts ranges between 64 and 74 percent of the total property tax bill.

ROCKFORD

Jefferson Street bridge

projects lands grant

The Jefferson Street Pedestrian Bridge project over the Rock River near downtown Rockford will receive a grant of $2 million to be used for repairs.

The Illinois Department of Transportation informed the Rockford Park District of grant approval to repair the bridge, which is currently closed.

For multiple years, Rockford Park District has been completing annual inspections of the Jefferson Street pedestrian bridge, and has made minor repairs when needed. A November 2015 evaluation revealed additional deterioration and the district decided to close the pedestrian bridge.

Total cost to remove and replace the pedestrian bridge is estimated to be $2.5 million. Over the last five years, approximately $500,000 from the Rockford Park District’s capital improvements program has been set aside in anticipation of the repairs.

The ITEP grant will allow the district to proceed with the design and engineering, the next phase of the project.  Pedestrian bridge repairs are expected to take two years to complete. The project completion date is 2019.

“The Jefferson Street pedestrian bridge was among 241 different transportation projects requesting money for a specific need. We are thrilled to be selected, as this is one of the highest grants the Rockford Park District has ever received,” said Laura Williamson, capital planning and management director.

ROCK VALLEY

Alum, best-selling author

will host singing, Q&A

The Rock Valley College Department of Composition and Literature will host college alumni and best-selling alumna Kimberla Lawson Roby, for the college’s 2016 Visiting Writer Series.

Lawson Roby will lecture on Nov. 3 at 10:30 a.m. in the Rock Valley College Student Center Atrium. The lecture will be immediately followed by a Q & A session and book signing.

Ms. Lawson Roby has published 24 novels which include A Sinful Calling; Best Friends Forever; The Ultimate Betrayal; A Christmas Prayer; The Prodigal Son; A House Divided; The Perfect Marriage; The Reverend’s Wife; Secret Obsession; Love, Honor, and Betray, Be Careful What You Pray For; A Deep Dark Secret; The Best Of Everything; One In A Million; Sin No More; Love & Lies; Changing Faces; The Best-Kept Secret; Too Much Of A Good Thing; A Taste Of Reality; It’s A Thin Line; Casting The First Stone; Here And Now; and her debut title, Behind Closed Doors, which was originally self-published through her own company, Lenox Press.

She has sold more than 2.7 million copies of her novels, and they have frequented numerous bestseller lists.

Among her honors is the 2013 NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction. She is also a member of the Rock Valley College Alumni Hall of Fame.

This event is free. For further information, contact Jennifer Roloff Welch at (815) 921-3323.

— News briefs —