Rockford board authorizes negotiations to move student records to PowerSchool

Rockford Public Schools trustees voted to authorize administration to begin negotiations with PowerSchool, a widely used student information system, after a multi‑month review by administrators, teachers and parent stakeholders.

District presenters, led by Mr. Ram, reviewed the evaluation of alternatives and told the board the recommendation would improve mobile access for families, reporting and dashboard capabilities for staff, and provide multi‑product discounts because several existing products (Schoology, SchoolMessenger) are owned by PowerSchool. The district said Skyward (current system) would be run in parallel with PowerSchool during a January–June transition to allow migration and reduce disruption.

Administration provided a cost estimate for the January–June overlap and integration of $50,888 plus a professional‑learning/deployment package of $37,825, and said successful deployment could produce an approximate $23,000 savings in the 2026–27 budget year compared with current subscriptions. The administration recommended negotiating integration and subscription costs now and returning with a proposed long‑term contract after the trial period.

Trustees asked technical questions about master scheduling, support levels and whether arena scheduling or specific add‑ons would be improved; presenters said some customization decisions would be refined by the implementation committee and the district's ISD host. The board moved and approved the motion to proceed with negotiations and the interim contract funding to run both platforms concurrently.

Next steps: administration will negotiate contract terms, continue committee oversight, and bring a final contract to the board after the transition period. Staff said the recommended overlap is intended to provide a stable launch for students, staff and families in 2026.