Board approves opt‑out/opt‑in actions to participate in Kent ISD collaborative choice program

Rockford Public Schools' board approved three connected school choice motions Monday: opting out of section 105, opting into the Kent Intermediate School District (KISD) collaborative school of choice program, and opting into section 105c to accept students from contiguous intermediate school districts.

District staff told the board the sequence is required: opt out of section 105 first, then opt into the KISD collaborative. Staff noted that the section 105c approval permits accepting students who reside in contiguous intermediate school districts — examples given included Ionia and Montcalm counties — and that the district expects to post application details on the district website once decisions are final.

The board handled these items as separate motions, with roll‑call participation recorded for at least some items. When discussing timing, district staff said KISD’s application window opens on the 13th and the district chose to open its 105c window on the 15th so both windows conclude the same day.

Motions were approved by the board; when votes were taken for the opt‑in items the transcript records affirmative responses from multiple board members during roll call. The district asked staff (Miss Nestor) to reflect the updated policy and application windows on the district website.