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Rochester Board of Education holds hearing on closing elementary building, adjourns after no public comment
Summary
At a May 5 public hearing, the Rochester Board of Education reviewed a proposal to close the Rochester Elementary 2/3 building at 456 Bertrand Drive beginning in the 2026–27 school year; no members of the public spoke, and the board adjourned the hearing after a voice vote.
The chair of the Rochester Board of Education opened a public hearing on May 5 to consider closing the Rochester Elementary 2/3 building at 456 Bertrand Drive beginning with the 2026–27 school term.
The chair read the hearing’s purpose and cited statutory language governing school closures, noting the board’s obligation to hold public hearings about whether a site or building has become "unnecessary, unsuitable, or inconvenient." The transcript records the citation as referencing "105 ILCS" and related notice provisions.
After calling the roll and leading the Pledge of Allegiance, the chair asked whether any visitors wished to address the board. "Seeing none and knowing that we had no show—none show up to the previous 2 hearings, I'm going to assume no one is coming tonight either," the chair said. No public commenters spoke during the segment.
The chair asked for a motion to adjourn the May 5, 2026 Board of Education public hearing. A motion and a second were recorded in the transcript, and the chair called for those in favor to say "aye." The transcript records an "aye" response; it does not record which board members moved, seconded, or how individual board members voted. The motion to adjourn was carried by voice vote.
No formal decisions about the proposed building closure appear on the record of this hearing; the transcript documents only the convening of the public hearing, the board’s reading of the statutory basis for holding hearings, the lack of public attendees, and the subsequent adjournment. The board did not, in the provided transcript, take a formal vote on closing the building or provide a timeline for any future action.
The hearing record indicates this hearing was held to satisfy the public-notice requirements set out in the cited Illinois statute; the transcript also notes that previous hearings had no attendees. The district may continue the administrative process required by state law before any final determination is made.
