Ridgefield resident Heidi Pozzo asks how the hiring of a new Ridgefield School District superintendent will impact the district’s capital plans
Heidi Pozzo
for Clark County Today
New leaders always have a perspective of what is needed to accomplish the goals they were brought in to achieve. And capital plans are certainly part of what a new leader would be thinking about when taking the helm.
Will they agree with the projects that are set forth in the bond measures on the April 2024 ballot?
That past provides insight into how impactful changes in the strategy for building schools can be. In 2012, Ridgefield School District voters approved a bond measure in what is now known as the first phase in the District’s Capital Facility Plan. But the original plan wasn’t what it is today.
The plan in 2012 called for building a new high school on the 50-acre parcel where the sports complex and View Ridge/Sunset Ridge sit, and converting the existing high school into a middle school. Looking at that plan today, it made a heck of a lot of sense with providing more flexibility for enrollment growth, while requiring lower capital than current plans.
Some combination of community input and a new superintendent that arrived in 2014 changed those plans.
In 2017, that plan morphed into what you see today. The addition of the new 5-8 school, the use of 30 acres of the 50-acre parcel for a sports complex, and the conversion of the old View Ridge to an administrative and civic center. All of which were not part of the 2012 plan. The new plan includes building two more elementary schools and another 5-8 school.
What will the next evolution hold? Another significant impact to the capital facility plans?
Interviews are ongoing right now for a new superintendent. The person ultimately selected will have a perspective on what is needed and the best way to accomplish that. Will they want what is planned at the high school? Or will they think something different is needed? Will they think the current asks for new schools make sense based on enrollment growth? Or do they have a different vision? Will precious taxpayer dollars be spent well or wasted?
There’s a chance to ask the candidates in upcoming community sessions. One way or another, the community should understand how the superintendent candidates view the needs before committing scarce taxpayer funds.
Heidi Pozzo has been a Ridgefield resident for 16 years. She is a concerned citizen who would like students to get a good education and thinks we can do it in a more cost-effective way.
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