Launch the media gallery 1 playerROGERS SCHOOL TO CLOSE FOR 2021-22
March 24, 2021 - After several months of discussions, meetings, public input and hearings, the North Pekin-Marquette Heights District #102 Board of Education voted, at its regular board meeting last evening, to close Rogers School at the conclusion of the 2020-21 school year. The decision will send all of the district’s students to either Marquette School or Georgetowne School in the fall. Starting in August, 2021, students in the Pre-K program through third grade will attend Marquette School. Students in fourth grade through eighth grade will attend Georgetowne School. The decision to close Rogers School and consolidate to two buildings is the result of an extreme decline in enrollment of more than 35% of the district’s enrollment over the last decade, resulting in the loss of well over 200 students. Additionally, the decision will allow the district to realize significant savings, helping to provide for the district’s financial solvency in future years. Much of the savings will be utilized immediately to address many of the district’s maintenance needs.
The administration and staff will now begin to finalize the plans they have been discussing the past three months to help provide for a smooth transition moving forward to the start of school next fall. As the 2020-21 school year comes to a close and the summer months begin, the district will continue to push out information, as it becomes available, regarding changes for the coming school year. The district understands that one of the big concerns will be the impact on the district’s transportation services for students attending Georgetowne School. The district administration is currently working with the Illinois State Board of Education and planning for a “Bus Pass” system which would allow parents of students to purchase a bus pass for their child, via a lottery system, to possibly access bus services using a predetermined stop on an existing route.
The district will retain ownership of the Rogers School building and will continue to maintain it. Discussions with a local education organization regarding the possibility of leasing the building for usage in the fall have already been initiated.
