ROCHELLE — Rochelle Elementary School District #231 and Rochelle Township High School District #212 leaders have been discussing a shared services plan for central office employees, beginning with the 2018-19 school year.
The concept is for the central office employees to serve each district in a a more efficient and collaborative manner, while each district continues to remain independent. The shared central office employees would include a superintendent, assistant superintendent and business office personnel.
“We look forward to improving the educational experience and outcomes of students through this central office partnership,” RTHS superintendent Jason Harper said of the plan.
The concept evolved out of previous discussions between the districts concerning possible consolidation. The framework of the shared services is to have one superintendent for both districts with an assistant superintendent also serving both districts.
The business offices would also be combined to increase efficiency and avoid duplication of roles and responsibilities.
Current elementary shool superintendent Todd Prusator, who is retiring in May of 2019, pointed out that one of the objectives of the shared services of the central office is to increase the understanding, unity, consistency and implementation of educational services for students in kindergarten through 12th grade to better serve the students and community.

Another opportunity with the shared services is to provide financial flexibility in the proportional paying of the shared services to allow available resources between the two districts to more effectively flow to the areas of need of the two districts.
“Since we have a mutual interest in serving our students and community, this partnership of shared services will enable a more collaborative framework in working together going forward,” Prusator said.
Timing right
Both boards of education believe the timing of such a framework works best now with Prusator retiring after the 2018-19 school year. RTHS superintendent, Jason Harper, would be superintendent for both districts and current Rochelle Middle School principal Tony Doyle would be the assistant superintendent.
Prusator would be an assistant superintendent for one year to help facilitate the transition in his final year working with both Harper, Doyle and the boards of education.
Representatives from each board of education, along with the superintendents, have been meeting over the past several months in earnest discussions of how to work together to meet the collective needs of each district that would be mutually beneficial.
“The concept of the shared services has been done by other dual districts and positive feedback was reported by the districts contacted by the administration and board members,” Prusator added.
The RTHS board will present the shared services concept as a discussion item at its regular board meeting on Monday, May 21. The elementary district will have a special board meeting on Tuesday, May 22 and will present this as a discussion item for that meeting.
Both districts will then need to vote on and approve the intergovernmental agreement at a subsequent board meeting to enact the plan.