Like many residents, I spent the summer dodging road construction, and while there has been open conversation about the expedited growth of Ridgefield, the simple fact is we are growing. My biggest fear is that we will lose our small town feel, however, that was alleviated as I left a basketball game recently — I beamed with pride as I watched old and new friends come together to embrace our community traditions. The gym and parking lot were crowded as we supported youth programs that night, therefore, with the growth comes the need to support the school infrastructure.
In the recent past, our community has said yes to schools and we watched an incredible new school go up this last year, yet we also watched the number of portable classrooms expand on all other school sites. Ridgefield has proposed a 77 million dollar bond for 2019, which is a tax increase of only 9 cents for $100 million in improvements. Compared to nine other districts in Clark County, there are five districts with higher tax rates than Ridgefield. I would rather see us build the infrastructure rather than spend more money on additional portable buildings. As an educator for 20 years, I urge you to join me in support of our children, our future, as we continue “Pursuing Premier” in Ridgefield.
