NRCS Issue 5 to be Placed on the May Ballot

Why is this a crucial need now?

• North Ridgeville City Schools is at a critical time regarding space needs. As a short term measure, the district installed trailers to accommodate the current student population. However, even more modular units are needed to adequately serve existing students. These trailers are not ideal for teachers or students. Projected student enrollment shows these needs will only increase.
• North Ridgeville City Schools needs a high school that is almost double the size of the existing school to accommodate the current and future student population, this rules out renovation as a feasible solution.
• The district is making budget cuts to plan for the installation of temporary modular units to accommodate space needs. Dollars from the general operating fund are being diverted from educational programming to repair the aging and undersized facilities.
• The school district will partner with the State of Ohio through the OFCC and be refunded 25% or $30-33 million in construction costs. The district will lose this funding if the May 2023 issue is unsuccessful and will be forced to re-engage the commission in a new ELPP agreement, taking 18-24 months.

Is student capacity only an issue at the high school?

When the facilities committee met in 2012, the district studied the condition, capacity and growth projections for their community. The district decided that due to the poor condition of the middle school, it should be addressed first, then in 8-10 years the high school and elementary schools would need to be replaced. In 2019, the district put a plan on the ballot that would have solved the space needs. In 2022, overcrowding at the high school and elementary levels has gotten worse. While the middle school operates with room for growth, the high school and elementary are aging and badly undersized.

Ranger High Tech Academy is the only STEM school offered in Lorain County. This unique program offers students the opportunity for project based learning opportunities with a focus on the fields of science and technology. In order to operate this program, the board of education enacted the open enrollment policy. However, the vast majority of students are North Ridgeville residents, with only around 40 students (Pre-K-12) “open enrolled” from outside the community. This program actually is alleviating the overcrowding issues as students in this program can be pulled out of the High School and Liberty move more freely to other spaces for this program.

What has the school done to maximize space usage in their current buildings?

Liberty Elementary:

• Built additional classrooms inside of the library at Liberty Elementary for music
• Converted utility closets into small group rooms for student reading intervention
• Walled off the backstage at Liberty Elementary and converted it into a storage space where physical education is also taught

High School:

• Installed one modular trailer to support eight overflow classes
• Subdivided the library into 3 additional classrooms
• Increased class sizes across the high school
• Eliminated electives due to space needs

Community Survey

A broad community survey of 2,200 citizens showed that, 67% of residents believed the high school was insufficient, and 56% of residents thought Liberty elementary school was insufficient for student use.

Following the defeat of Issue 6 and 28 in November of 2022, the district conducted a broad community survey to understand voter decisions based on the outcome. Having analyzed the data, we understand there is strong support to replace the aging and overcrowded school facilities, as long as it is without an attached recreation center.

With this information, the district is focusing this new Issue 5 on addressing the academic spaces that directly impact student performance, instead of incorporating the community recreation facilities. By refocusing around the academic portion of this plan, and simplifying the ballot issue, we hope to achieve the biggest impact in student success, safety and space.

 Survey Takeaways

• The vast majority (over 85%) who took the survey, believed that the school facilities aren’t sufficient and supported replacing them.
• Many in the community didn’t want a community center attached to the high school.
• Many in the community didn’t understand that the State of Ohio was providing 25% of construction costs and that this will expire in May 2023.
• Almost 50% of the 65+ group opposed the community center attached to the school (35% supported).