State Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Chehalis, spent Wednesday, Nov. 19, walking the halls of South Ridge Elementary as part of the Ridgefield School District’s “principal for a day” program. His visit came as the district prepares for major shifts in how its elementary schools operate.
South Ridge currently serves about 780 students and relies on more than 20 portable classrooms. The campus spans a wide footprint, which teachers say can leave grade levels feeling disconnected from each other. With a third elementary school set to open in August 2026 and the district’s plan to shift to a K-5 model that same year, administrators expect class sizes to ease and the campus layout to feel more manageable.
Abbarno spent the full school day in meetings, classroom visits, recess duty, and hallway supervision. He logged more than 4,400 steps before the 3 p.m. debrief. He said the value of the day was seeing the work of educators in real time instead of hearing about it in Olympia.
“I think it's really important for policymakers to not just consider, debate and pass policy from Olympia, but you have to get into the classroom,” Abbarno said.
Throughout the day, he observed PLC meetings focused on behavior interventions, visited the intensive needs program, toured specialists’ classrooms, and helped during recess and lunch periods. The PLC sessions in particular stood out to him for how teachers coordinated support plans for students with shared needs.
“What I saw was a, a collaborative group saying we've got a student who needs help in X, Y, and Z. How do we all work together, to make sure that they get to where they are to be successful,” he said.
He said spending the school day in person puts classroom challenges into clearer focus, especially when districts are growing faster than their buildings can keep up.
“Teachers have some large classrooms, you know, how are the parents interacting with it. How are we moving from class to class and from subject to subject in a way that I think is the best for not only the students but the faculty and staff,” he said.
South Ridge Principal Tawny Malone said rapid growth has reshaped nearly every part of the school day. The new elementary school and the return of fifth grade to the elementary level will reduce pressure starting at the 2026-27 school year, but she said the transition brings its own adjustments.
“I'm grateful for the 3rd elementary opening next year and happy to welcome back fifth grade,” she said.
She said the current campus layout and reliance on portables can make it difficult for grade-level teams to feel connected.
“I'm excited about that community aspect in shrinking (class sizes), and I think that there's still gonna be challenges,” she said. “It’s just a different set of challenges … like starting a new school year or a new building, (including) the changes with our staff.”
Lunch schedules are another strain for a school serving eight classrooms at once. She said the new school will allow for more balanced lunch periods and lighter crowding.
“When we're serving 8 classrooms in our cafeteria, that is, we're, we're packing them in there, and so we can't double lunches basically,” Malone noted.
Malone also said that class sizes should become more manageable district-wide with the addition of the new school and the shift to K-5, even if total enrollment at South Ridge does not drop dramatically.
“Our superintendent has a strong commitment to keeping our classroom numbers lower. She knows the benefit of smaller class sizes,” she said.
As Abbarno looks toward the upcoming legislative session, he said what he saw affirms the need for stronger state support for school construction and modernization, especially in fast-growing communities like Ridgefield.
“They've made the best with what they have, and I think they've done a really good job,” Abbarno said. “It doesn't absolve the state from passing better policies regarding standards, education and buildings to make sure that we have the best public education system in the country.”
He said spending full days in schools creates better long-term communication between lawmakers and districts.
“It's always eye-opening for me and really instructive to have that,” Abbarno said.
