NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio — The North Ridgeville City School District is thanking the community for passing a bond issue that will bring in a total of $143 million to build a new high school, auditorium and transportation center.
It was the third time the district, in recent years, had asked voters to approve a ballot measure.
The district said the high school is outdated and overcrowded, with more than 1,400 students in a space with a total capacity of 900.
"We are excited for students. We're excited for the community," said David Pritt, the district's assistant superintendent. "This has been a struggle we've had for a long time. The important next steps for us is to start to engage the community, engage the staff engage the students to find out what is this building look like. What are the features that it needs to have."
The district said the new school should be ready for students within four to five years.
Once the new school is up and running Pritt said the old building will be demolished.
"It will become green space. It will become parking lot and may become practice fields," Pritt said. "But it will provide some other support services for the new building."
Superintendent reacts
After the election, Superintendent Roxann Ramsey-Caserio issued the following statement:
After the election results, The North Ridgeville City School District learned Issue 16 has passed. The passing of Issue 16 will give our students the safety to thrive, space to learn, and an environment for excellence.
As the planning process progresses, we will ensure these new buildings have state of the art security systems and an environment that suits the evolving strategies of education. We are thankful for the support of the community. We will be able to design a safer facility with enough space for our growing enrollment. We look forward to the positive impact the new high school will have on our students, staff, and our entire community.
The project will take approximately four to five years to complete. There will be several planning and Board of Education meetings open to the public as next steps get underway.
Bond issue
Issue 16 is a 37-year, 6.26-mill bond issue. It will bring in $143 million and cost residents $219 per year per $100,000 in home valuation.
Residents react
Maria Friday currently has a senior in the district. Friday is an elementary teacher, in a neighboring school district, who voted for the bond.
"Nobody wants to see their taxes go up, but educating students should be the public's number one priority," Friday said.
Tony Hugel said he voted against the bond. He said he's concerned with the rapid growth of housing developments in North Ridgeville and the domino effect.
"What happens when all those younger families become older like us (and) no kids (in the district)?" Hugel said. "All of a sudden you've got a school that's bigger than it really needs to be."
Future needs
The district said its elementary school remains overcrowded, and leaders will need to address the issue. Pritt said next school year, eight academic trailers will be ready for use at the elementary school, which is capable of accommodating 200 students.
When asked if the district will need to ask voters for additional money to address concerns at the elementary level, Pritt said, "The timeline is hard to say what that would look like right now. So, our focus is going to be on getting this one (new high school) up and running, and we'll do the best we can with the facilities that we have at our younger levels."
