I came across the following newspaper article regarding the "controversial tenure" of Paul Durand's tenure as the Superintendent of the Winona Areas School Distict. As you may know, Durand is the current Superintendent of the Rockford School District. The following is the link to the article "Superintendent finalist left community divided" by Paul Sloth: http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_b643e4b0-56a7-11df-b32a-001cc4c002e0.html
According to the JournalTimes.com article, in 2010, the Winona School Board actually voted 4 to 3 against renewing his contract. Among the reasons for this vote cited in the article, are "budget cuts, school closings, and referendums." It also cites "his reluctance to release of public information" as well as "perceived divisiveness." Author Paul Sloth says that while Durand "had the support of many in the city's business community," he "lacked support from teachers and principles" in the Winnona Area School District.
The Winona Daily News cited Stacey Mounce Arnold, chairperson of the School Board at the time Durand was superintendent of the district, who spoke of Durand in a very negative light. However, Winona Mayor Jerry Miller spoke highly of Durand's work in his role as superintendent.
Given this article, and the proposed Rockford School District 2012 referendum, I would be hesitant as a voter to support the proposals lead by a man with doubtful credibility. The fact that "referendums" were specifically cited as a difficulty he faced in Winona, makes me wonder if that was not part of the reason he was ousted. I also think his "reluctance" to make public information available could cast doubt on the transparency required to fairly pass a pricey budget referendum. I don't know how "informed" we are as voters about the details of the Rockford referendum under the leadership of a person who has a history of concealing public information from the public. This does not bode well for Rockford. I also would not support a superintendent who did not gain the "support" of the teachers in the district.