Rockford Public Schools to remodel building near Jefferson High School for career education center

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Rockford Public Schools plans to renovate the home of Rock Valley College’s automotive and collision repair classes near Jefferson High School to serve as a hub for career-centered education ranging from culinary courses to CNC machining for all four high schools.

The Stenstrom Center, a 133,000-square-foot building at 4151 Samuelson Road next to Jefferson, will undergo an estimated $18-19 million overhaul to turn it into Rockford Public Schools new College and Career Education Center. It’s expected to partially open next school year, while Rock Valley continues to operate automotive classes from the south end of the site. Then, in 2026, Rockford Public Schools will fill the full space after Rock Valley moves into its new Downtown West Campus.

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The CCEC, as it has been nicknamed by RPS, will be home to classes for biomedical, culinary, graphic design, welding, CNC machining, manufacturing and automotive. There will also be broadcast and recording studios and an incubator suite, as well as general classroom space for advanced placement courses and other credits.

“This will serve as a place where students can come and learn intentional skills that will give them experience on machines and equipment that they would find in a real company or organization, which will make them more employable for companies in our area,” said Bridget French, the district’s executive director of college and career readiness. “This is going to provide students with experiences like, if they are going on to culinary school, they are going to see similar equipment in that school that they have experience as a high school student at RPS.”

Construction bids are set to be open at 2:30 p.m. today and go to the School Board for approval on Tuesday. The project was designed by DLR Group of Chicago, which has handled several college and career centers across the country.

Pending board approval, construction would begin immediately.

School leaders say the center will provide state-of-the-art equipment that can’t feasibly be housed at all four high schools. The center is intended to provide more access to a better learning environment.

“One of our challenges has been access to these programs. In some cases we’ve tried to duplicate them at two or more high schools — they’re the most expensive programs, and so you’re creating let’s say C or C- spaces when you’re trying to duplicate,” said Mike Phillips, chief operations officer for the school district. “Being at one location we can create an A+ space and bring out students to that location.”

The new CCEC will also allow the district to repurpose some space at the high schools back into flexible classroom space.

“That space is going to be transformed with the partnership of our business community to match career demand, as well as maintaining excellent opportunities in each of our four high schools,” Superintendent Ehren Jarrett said.

The district will setup a twice-per-day transportation schedule to ensure students at Auburn, East, Guilford and Jefferson can all attend courses at the center.

For example, a student may be transported by bus from their home to the CCEC first thing in the morning, and then taken to their school in the afternoon for the remainder of their classes. Other students would start the day at their home high school and then be transported to the CCEC before being taken to their home bus stop.

Right now, students have to self-transport if they want to participate in a course, such as manufacturing, that’s only offered at one of the high schools.

“A lot of students don’t do it for that reason,” French said. “The CCEC will allow us to create a space where students from all four high schools will be able to participate in the manufacturing program.”

The Stenstrom Center was built in 1969 as a vocational school for Rockford Public Schools, Phillips said. It was sold to Rock Valley in the 1990s, and then sold back to the school district for $1 in preparation to create the CCEC.

Much of the renovations will be interior remodeling, but the district also plans to open up the exterior for more windows to allow natural light into the building.

The opening of the center will also lead to job changes for several teachers in the district as some classes consolidate at the CCEC.

In mid-December, the district plans to designate about 30 teachers as “surplus,” a term that means they may not be needed in their current position but still needed in the district.

District officials said all the teachers who receive that designation will reapply for roles that reflect the shift in classes to match the new center.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas