Dr. Sharon Williams, superintendent of Rock Island-Milan School District, accentuated the positive – and noted challenges – in her annual “State of the Schools” address Tuesday, Sept. 8, at a joint meeting of the Rock Island Kiwanis and Rotary clubs at the QC Botanical Center, Rock Island.
There’s a lot of construction happening around the district, thanks to a $55-million working cash bond that was issued in 2025, to be spent over three years and paid back over 20. The bond requires 85% of the funds be spent within three years.
“We have about $20 million projects paid to date, $38 million that is committed right now based on the projects that we've already had bid out and that we're working on,” Williams said. She will lead facilities plan update meetings, with the next one Sept. 14 at 5:30 p.m. at Washington Junior High School.
“One of the first goals of the Board of Education that hired me was to create a long and short-term building management plan for the school district,” Williams said Tuesday.
“We started that work with the goal of having a plan that would address immediate needs but also think about the long-term needs of our school district,” she said, noting the average age of school buildings is 74 years, with some hitting 100 years or more.
“And what we know about those historic buildings is that they take a lot of upkeep and we know that they also need modernization,” Williams said. “So part of the work of this plan was to look at each of our schools and do a facilities assessment of each school.”
Some of the major projects include:
● Rock Island Academy (930 14th St.) is in the midst of a $7.9-million expansion project. The project (which will include some interior work during the 2026-27 school year) will be done by the start of the 2027-28 school year, at the beginning of August 2027. The project includes construction of a 12,880-square-foot, two-story building addition designed to expand the school’s instructional capacity. The addition will include six standard classrooms, six English Language (EL)/Resource rooms, and two flexible learning spaces to support collaborative and multipurpose instructional activities.
● A new $16-million aquatic center at the high school – an eight-lane, Olympic-sized pool to open in January. The old pool area will be converted to classrooms. RIHS also is getting an overhaul to its HVAC system, so temperatures can be controlled more easily, Williams said.
● Eugene Field Elementary (2900 31st Ave.) also is getting a $6.5-million addition, with new classrooms, a music classroom, and converting the library that is currently cut in half to provide classroom spaces, to be finished next summer.
RIHS recently opened its new School Health Link clinic, marking an important milestone in the district’s commitment to supporting the health and well-being of scholars. Located inside Rock Island High School, the new clinic expands access to convenient, high-quality healthcare for scholars and their families through a partnership with School Health Link.
The clinic provides preventive and acute medical care, referrals, and other health-related services for children and adolescents. By bringing healthcare directly into the school setting, the partnership helps remove barriers that can prevent scholars from receiving timely care while supporting attendance, wellness, and academic success.
Williams said before her address that no public vote was needed for the $55-million bond, which does not increase local taxes. “We were very strategic about that and making sure that it did not have an impact on our taxpayers,” she said, noting that half of the district’s annual budget is funded by local property taxes.
On Tuesday, she reviewed the outlines of the district strategic framework, also approved last year. You can see the district’s strategic plan (2025-2030), including top priorities, HERE.
“The Rock Island-Milan School District is moving along," Williams told WVIK before her noon presentation. “We've made progress in leadership development and developing our teachers. Our strategic plan is set now for the next 5 years, and I think that really serves as the roadmap for whatever we're doing in the district.
"And that's a very important document— we're working on keeping that as a living document so that we're not forgetting what our goals are from year to year.
“Academic progress is slow but coming along. as well,” she said. “So we're very proud of that, in addition to all the facilities work that we're doing.”
14 schools and 6,010 scholars
The district has a 2026-27 budget of $112.8 million, with 14 schools, 1,100 employees and 6,010 total students (or “scholars,” as the district calls them). Williams noted the district is one of the most diverse in Illinois -- 34% of students are African-American (33% are white and 15% Hispanic); a total of 16% are multi-lingual students, with over 20 languages spoken (the top three foreign languages are Swahili, Karen and Spanish).
Of all students, 77% are from low-income families, qualifying for free or reduced-lunch.
“Our diversity is our strength,” Williams said. “ We are very proud of that diversity and celebrate that at every opportunity that we have.”
“Many of our scholars come to school or come to our school buildings being multilingual, and some of our teachers have experience with multilingual learners, others are still on the path to learning more about multilingual learners and the unique challenges that brings with scholars who come with a different language,” she said before her talk.
“Some of our scholars also have interrupted schooling experiences, and so that may impact how they're showing up at school as well,” Williams added. “So we do have a great multilingual department that's working with teachers and principals around best practices in those areas. And so many more teachers certified in that area as well now, and still working toward getting more teachers.”
While the 2026 Illinois report card on public schools won’t be released until October, she noted 2025 results for the district lag behind state averages. In English Language Arts proficiency, Rock Island-Milan is at 31.9% proficient (compared to 52.4% statewide), and at just 20.9% in math (compared to 38.4% statewide), Williams said.
On the plus side, the high school graduation rate has been inching up since she’s been superintendent.
“We’re very happy to report over the past three years that we have surpassed the 80% mark for our school district in graduates,” Williams said. “Our graduation rate was flat for many years, landing at about 75 to 77% graduating from high school on time, and this is a four-year graduation rate.”
She expects increases of 2-3% higher rates each year. The Board of Education will hold a public hearing on the FY 2027 Budget on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, at 6 p.m., at Thurgood Marshall Learning Center, 600 11th Ave., Rock Island.
Four-year contract extension
Last month, the RIMSD board approved a four-year contract extension for Williams. The extension is the first contract extension approved by the Board of Education since she was unanimously appointed superintendent in January 2024.
The agreement reflects the board’s confidence in Dr. Williams’ leadership and a shared commitment to continued excellence, innovation, and opportunity for the scholars of the district through 2030, according to a district release.
Since becoming superintendent (the first woman leader for the district), Williams has led a comprehensive effort to strengthen scholar achievement, expand access and opportunity, and build the organizational systems necessary to support continued excellence across the district.
RIMSD #41 is guided by a Strategic Framework completed in 2025, a community-informed five-year plan designed to align priorities, resources, and action around scholar success. Williams engaged the school community through summits, focus groups, and dedicated work sessions over six months to develop the plan and establish a shared direction for the district.
In her first year as superintendent, Williams also led the school community in completing Building Our Future, the district’s Facilities Management Plan focused on addressing critical infrastructure needs and creating high-quality learning environments.
Since its adoption, the district has launched an aggressive construction and renovation program that includes the Rock Island High School Aquatic Center; additions and renovations at two elementary schools; parking lot and driveway improvements; renovation of the former RIHS pool; renovations to the RIHS band and orchestra complex; and a transformational project to modernize and connect the high school’s HVAC systems.
Under her leadership, the district has demonstrated measurable progress in academic and school accountability indicators, including a reduction in exclusionary disciplinary practices, improved chronic absenteeism rates, the improved school accountability status at five district schools, and continued growth in the district’s graduation rate, which has exceeded 80% during each year of Williams’ tenure.
Williams has also expanded opportunities for community voice and engagement by establishing Superintendent Advisory Councils for scholars, families, and staff.
Additional opportunities for direct connection include 10 Minutes with the Superintendent, the district’s Mi-Rock Podcast, enhanced two-way communication tools, and modernization of the district website and social media outreach.
Recognizing the critical role of principals and school leaders in school and district improvement, Williams established an Aspiring Leaders Academy and School Leadership Institute while expanding systematic professional learning for school leaders. These efforts are strengthening the district’s leadership pipeline, with increased opportunities for internal advancement and promotion.
Williams has worked in Tennessee, Missouri, Washington State, Mississippi, Louisiana and Illinois. She’s lived in four cities along the Mississippi River – Memphis, St. Louis, Baton Rouge and now, Rock Island.
Before starting in Rock Island July 1, 2024 (at an annual salary of $220,000), her last position was deputy superintendent for two and a half years at Proviso Township High School District in Forest Park, Ill., outside Chicago. Williams has held many leadership roles in education over her career.
She’s a native of Nashville, Tenn., and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Work and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Memphis. She began her public service as a social worker serving children and families in the foster care system. She received her Education Specialist and Doctorate Degrees in Administration and Supervision from Tennessee State University.
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