RAVENNA — A $5 million bond sought by the Ravenna Public School district was passed by voters during a special election on Tuesday, March 11.
The results of the bond election were 442 votes for and 176 votes against, with 618 being cast in total.
The bond is not to exceed $5,500,000.
Superintendent Ken Schroeder said that the proposed project calls for adding around 16,000 square foot of new property and renovating 9,800 square feet. He said the project aims to address three primary needs of the district, safety, inclusion and improving learning spaces.
Speaking to the background of the project, Schroder said that the board of education members has been working with the Wilkins architecture group for the past four years following a building study in 2021.
When the three key areas were identified, they set to work to come up with a plan that would address those issues.
Schroeder said the space added will be on the north and east side of the current high school facility. They would eliminate the use of their detached north buildings and bring all the students under one roof with no need to exit the building.
Schroeder said it creates a safety issue for the students to be transitioning so many times during the day between the different buildings. It was noted that 148 students travel between the main buildings and north buildings each day, through all kinds of weather and conditions.
Speaking further to the safety aspect of the project, security vestibule entrance will be added as another layer of security. Currently, visitors have to be buzzed into the building, but they can access the full building as soon as they enter.
“It will help us screen visitors before they gain full access to the building,” Schroeder said.
Another issue is the lack of inclusion, as currently middle school education students are being instructed in a sperate building and has the potential to create a negative perception regarding those students.
The Life Skills classroom is also located in a separate building.
Updates are also needed for the girl’s locker room which only has one restroom stall, not enough for the number of students that use the facility.
There are also certain learning spaces that need to be expanded. According to the district, some of the classes with the highest rates of participation and career opportunities, such as agriculture, robotics, welding and industrial technology, are too small and are outdated.
The aim is to modernize the classroom and shops to give the students a better hands-on experience.
Ravenna Public Schools Board of Education President Misti Fiddelke said the board went through several different plans before landing on the current iteration that has been proposed.
Fiddelke said they have excellent programs and teachers but said they could be making better use of their space and need additional square footage, which the project aims to address.
Fiddelke said Ravenna board of education is conservative in their approach and have been saving so that there is $2 million in their special building fund that will go toward the overall cost of $7.5 million.
High School Principal Noah Maulsby was asked about the needs he sees daily in the school.
Maulsby spoke first about the safety improvements the project will bring, noting the transversal of the students outside the building and how often the doors have to be open and unlocked for them. It was noted bringing everyone under the same roof will help improve safety for students and staff.
Maulsby noted the first graduating class from the current Ravenna Public Schools building was 1969 and there are parts of that haven’t seen updates in over 50 years. He said there are classroom and shop space that need to be modernized and expanded.
