Rhonda Jacobs is a School Improvement Officer for SPS. She received her bachelor's from Westfield State University and her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Connecticut. Previous work experience as a crisis clinician and an outpatient therapist prepared her to work with an at-risk population of students in Springfield Public Schools.

She has been employed with Springfield Public Schools for over 29 years. Twenty-eight of those years have been in Alternative Schools, starting as an Adjustment Counselor for ten (10) years at the Springfield Alternative School for Excellence, previously known as SAFE school K-12. In 2012, Ms. Jacobs was promoted to Principal of Alternative Schools, of which there are eight schools and programs: Public Day Elementary School, Public Day Middle School, Public Day High School, Springfield High School, Liberty Preparatory Academy, Gateway to College High Schools located at Springfield Technical Community College and Holyoke Community College, and the High School Completion Program. In 2023, Ms. Jacobs co-created a high school diploma program for adults titled the Springfield Success Academy. And in 2024, she was promoted to School Improvement Officer.

Ms. Jacobs believes in second chances and building opportunities for students to meet success. “It is my pleasure to lead the charge of creating opportunities for students who have not met success in the traditional K-12 schools -- The greatest experience is watching a student cross the stage at graduation and listening to the families and students express their excitement for accomplishing that goal when they otherwise thought it wouldn’t happen.”