Rockford School Board member challenged by teacher as she seeks second term

A licensed clinical social worker will defend her Rockford School Board seat representing subdistrict D in northeast Rockford against a challenge from a public-school teacher during the April 1 election.

Nicole Bennett, 36, is seeking a second term after defeating former Rockford School Board president Jude Makulec two years ago. She said she brings expertise to the board and has demonstrated strong leadership throughout her term.

“I am a mom of two young children, a social worker and community advocate,” Bennett said. “I am dedicated to our community’s children and want to create and enrich educational environments where students are empowered to reach their full potential.”

Zachary Fort III, 52, said that as a public-school teacher with 28 years’ experience, he would be a better choice.

“I want to be a voice for all teachers, parents and students on the board,” Fort said. “They are the ones on the frontlines in classrooms every day, know what needs to be done to make things better, and yet, feel no one is listening to them.  I will listen and then act.”

Bennett and Fort were sent questionnaires about their candidacy. Here are their responses.

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Nicole Bennett

Age: 36

Occupation: Regional clinical director, Effective School Solutions

Hometown: Rockford

Family: Husband, Dominick Bennett, two children, Love and Sunny

Education: Winnebago High School, 2006; Illinois State University, bachelor’s degree, sociology, 2010; Loyola University Chicago, Master of Social Work — Specialization in Children and Families, 2015; Licensed Clinical Social Worker since 2017.

Hobbies: Being a mom and spending time with my family, reading, listening to live music, traveling and any reason to be in the sun or near water.

How do you feel about Rockford Public Schools?  As a former RPS 205 student and proud public-school graduate, I feel honored to have served on the Board of Education the past two years. Our challenges are many, but we have thousands of committed and dedicated individuals working every single day to better the future of our young people. I believe our community can work together to ensure our students achieve, thrive and succeed in Rockford.

What makes you the best choice for School Board? With over 18 years of experience working with youth and their families, I have the knowledge, experience and passion to continue to serve Rockford Public Schools. I have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills with a focused commitment to students’ academic as well as social-emotional success. I have taken on this role with honesty, transparency and advocacy, always striving to include the voices of students, staff, families, community members and constituents in the decision-making process.

What is RPS 205 getting right? One of our largest strengths is our focus on college and career readiness. This fall, we are opening the new College and Career Education Center, which allows us to increase and expand our offerings to high school students. Students across all high schools will have access to quality programs in automotive, culinary, graphic design, welding and many others.

What are the district’s three most pressing challenges? 

Safety: If students and staff do not feel safe, physically and emotionally, they won’t be in a place to learn, teach or grow. We must ensure our buildings are safe and we are putting in proper support and resources for our students, teachers, and staff. I have been instrumental in the multiple revisions of the code of conduct to enhance serious offenses, increase victim support and safety, as well as include the largest number of restorative practices to date. I’ve also collaborated with administration and community experts to create the District’s first teen dating violence toolkit to prevent violence by teaching healthy relationship skills and interventions.

Mental health: We need to increase our mental health professionals, supports and services. We are experiencing a mental health crisis as a society and our students and families need to be connected to the right resource, at the right time.

Staffing shortage: We are experiencing unprecedented staffing shortages. One of the large areas of concern are social workers and support staff. I connected RPS 205 with the University of Illinois College of Medicine and their partnership with the Winnebago County Community Mental Health Board to support pathways for students and staff to obtain advanced social work degrees as a “grow your own” program, tuition free.

Fort A. Zackary III

Age:  52

Occupation: ESL Teacher, Belvidere School District 100. I have 28 years experience including eight in San Diego, 18 in Rockford Public Schools and two in Belvidere.

Hometown:  San Diego, California Moved to Rockford in 2005

Family:  Wife, daughter and two sons. My wife and daughter are also teachers in Belvidere District 100.

Education: University of San Diego High School,1990; University of California, San Diego, Bachelor of Arts in urban studies and planning, double minor in history and visual arts, 1994; Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, teaching credential, 1997; National University, San Diego, master’s in educational administration, 2002.

Hobbies: History, movies, books, coins, travel and outdoor sports like surfing, skiing, hiking.

How do you feel about Rockford Public Schools?  The foundation of any community is the education and well-being of its youth, which makes RPS one of the most important institutions in our city.  RPS is full of great teachers who want only the best for their students, helping all children grow into citizens that will make Rockford an even better community for all.

What makes you the best choice?  I have been a teacher for 28 years, 18 years in RPS.  I am uniquely qualified to evaluate district policy proposals and initiatives, and what their actual impact on the classroom and student achievement will be.

What is RPS 205 getting right?  RPS has systematically modernized and improved every school facility.  And they have done a great job bringing vocational skills back into high schools and building community partnerships that put graduates on a pathway to success.

What are the district’s three most pressing challenges?

Academics: While graduation rates are up, actual student academic achievement lags far behind.  Only one of every 10 students leave RPS proficient in literacy and math, and the numbers are worse for those who want to go on to college.  As a board member, I will refocus attention on the academic foundation, working to improve literacy and math proficiency for all students.

Behavior: I will also work to address the two biggest concerns for teachers, discipline and lack of intervention services for students.  Teachers say these are the two biggest obstacles to their ability to effectively teach in the classroom.  They are also some of the biggest reasons that more and more teachers are leaving, and college students are choosing not to go into the profession.

Taxes: I will fight to protect your money.  I pay more in property taxes every year to RPS than my entire property tax bill in San Diego, California!  Property taxes only make up 20% of RPS funding.  The rest comes from the state and federal government.  Families can not afford to pay more in property taxes.  I will be your advocate to identify wasteful spending and reallocate those funds to local classrooms.

Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on X @jeffkolkey.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford School Board race for subdistrict D seat heats up