Ridgefield School District leaders prepare for upcoming levy votes

Posted

With two crucial levy proposals set to be voted upon Feb. 11, Ridgefield School District leaders are hoping to secure the community’s support for the district’s growing needs.

A priority for district Superintendent Jenny Rodriquez is to fund a new elementary school building. In the 2023-24 school year, the district served 1,492 students in grades kindergarten through fourth grade, with enrollment expected to rise to 1,635 by the 2028-29 school year. Populations in elementary enrollment increased by roughly 80 students from 2019 to 2024. Though the district’s student body has nearly doubled in the last 10 years, no new elementary schools have been added.

“This is a building that we’re asking for, not for future growth, but growth that’s already occurred in the city and district of Ridgefield. It’s just important for folks to understand we have two elementary schools, both over 700 students, without fifth grade,” Rodriquez said.

Instead of a bond to build the elementary school, the school district is proposing a capital and technology levy, a new funding proposal for the district. Unlike bonds, which can last for up to 20 years, this levy would last for three years and cost residents an additional $0.84 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Over its three-year term, the levy would generate $21.2 million for the district. The new elementary school is projected to cost $52.5 million to build, with the proposed levy covering $15 million of that cost. An additional $21 million will come from available impact fees, and $16.5 million will be provided by state funds. The levy would also pay for deferred maintenance for Union Ridge and South Ridge elementary schools, which would cost no more than $4.7 million. Additionally, the levy would allocate $500,000 for maintaining student and staff devices, including laptops. This will continue the four-year laptop replacement cycle for students.

The district will also ask voters to renew an existing educational programs and operations (EP&O) levy, which is set to expire in late 2025. The levy funds essential services such as basic staffing, programs, athletics and professional development. The replacement EP&O levy, Proposition 12, has an estimated rate of $1.75 per $1,000 of assessed value. The capital and technology levy, Proposition 13, has an estimated rate of $0.84 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Both measures are for three-year terms. If approved by voters, collections for the levies would begin in 2026 and expire at the end of 2028.

In April 2024, two bond proposals failed to secure the required 60% supermajority needed for approval. Had they passed, the funds would have been used to build two new schools and support various capital projects, including updates at Union Ridge and South Ridge elementary schools. According to Rodriquez, survey feedback indicated residents wanted the district to reduce the cost to taxpayers. The failed bonds would have increased the anticipated property taxes from $2.53 to $3.89 per $1,000 in assessed property value in 2025. Had the bonds passed, the school district would have still had to ask voters to renew the EP&O levy.



To reduce costs of the building construction in the newest effort, the elementary school’s design was scaled back by approximately 6,000 square feet without eliminating any classrooms. Adjustments included reducing the gym size, which in the previous bond proposal was planned as a competition-sized gym with bleachers. Instead, the new design features a standard-sized elementary school gymnasium. Additionally, plans for turf on the outside field were replaced with a regular grass field for students, and the inclusion of lights was removed. The district is also working through further design choices to minimize costs wherever possible.

“We took everyone’s feedback into account to put on the ballot. It’s a much lower price tag, and we’ve worked really hard to keep the tax rate as low as possible,” Rodriquez said.

Ridgefield School District board member Jake Bredstrand hopes both proposed levies will pass. The community input, taking into account the lowered cost for the bond, gives him confidence.

“If you look at our [previous] bonds, we hit 51% and 58%. The majority of our people want to vote, and now this is a much more condensed menu, a much lower price tag, and we took everyone’s feedback into account to put it on the ballot,” Bredstrand said.

To learn more about both propositions, go to ridgefieldsd.org/page/levy.