Letter to the editor: Support our children and pass the Ridgefield school bond

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We moved here in 1992. The schools were the biggest reason, so imagine our dismay when a few months later, the school bond failed. People said it went down because they were upset with growth and the school superintendent. The students were jammed into classrooms and school buses. Cheap portable classrooms were purchased which kids left to access bathrooms or wash their hands. Cafeteria shifts were instituted with some kids eating “lunch” at 10:30 a.m. 

It was just a mess. 

Our own children survived, but we felt distraught and disappointed with our new community. We have strongly advocated for school bonds from that day forward. 

After our children grew up, we stayed in Ridgefield because it is beautiful, the air is clean, the water potable and we love our community. Ridgefielders care for each other and this has always included each other’s children. We realize the unknown aspect of growth’s impact can be scary and even if we love having a supermarket we moan about the traffic. 

Whether we are for or against growth, Ridgefield is a great place to live and people will keep coming. Many longtime residents don’t realize attempts to stop growth — by suppressing building permits to reduce available housing supply — also pushes real estate values up and taxes with it. (San Francisco is the best example of this flawed policy.) 



As a bedroom community for Portland, Ridgefield has had a deficit of commercial tax revenue. With commercial growth there is hope that this class of taxes can eventually relieve some of the tax burden on homeowners. Like it or not, the children are here, more are coming and we need additional infrastructure to meet even basic educational needs.

My husband and I hope to continue to age in place here, so “home value” isn’t our issue. Any increasing housing-related expense, however, is a big concern. In our own self interest, it would make sense to vote against a tax, but would voting the bond down soothe our frustration with an unequal taxing system? Not for us. 

We understand the bond is the one tax we can vote against, but our little ones would pay the price. If we have to tighten our belts so that Ridgefield children can thrive, we don’t see a downside. What better investment could we possibly make? We thank you in advance for joining us in voting for the Ridgefield School Bond!