Rendering of the Ravenna Public Schools bond project, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
RAVENNA — The Ravenna Public Schools aims to address student safety, inclusion and update and expand learning spaces through their proposed $5 million bond project. District staff and school board members spoke with the media regarding the project on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
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.
There had been three community meetings held where residents could learn about the proposed project and took a survey for people’s feedback.
There are two additional meetings scheduled for Monday, Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. and Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. in the school auditorium. Tours of the school will be available following the meetings.
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.
Schroeder did note that Ravenna’s needs differ from that of other area schools that have put bond issues to an election.
He said this initiative is not about student growth, as the district’s numbers have slowly declined over the past 10 years, from around 460 to 400. However, Schroeder noted that their needs regarding safety, inclusion and updated learning spaces remain.
To fund the project, the RPS Board of Education has called a special election on March 11 for a school bond not to exceed $5,500,000. It will be an election by mail.
Ravenna Public Schools Board of Education President Misti Fiddelke also spoke with the media and said the board went through several different plans before landing on the current iteration that has been proposed, and the district will decide at election.
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.
“We have been planning, we haven’t done anything fast, we have made sure all of our boxes have been checked,” Fiddelke said.
When asked about the public support for the bond project, Fiddelke said there has not been any sticking points that she has heard of to this point. So far, there has been positive feedback from the people who have reached out to the community and there has been questions and concerns from some of the farmers and larger landowners in the area.
It was noted that most district property owners will see no increase in their tax rate the following year, if the bond passes.
“If the bond passes, the board can lower some existing school taxes earmarked for facility improvements, because those building needs will be taken care of by the bond project. For example, the Special Building Fund is currently levied at nearly 14 cents per hundred. That can be dropped down to three cents. This means there should actually be a district wide tax rate decrease for the 2025-26 budget cycle,” Schroeder said in a press release.
To help with the tax burden the district plans to lower some existing school taxes, especially those earmarked for facility projects, which will help offset the cost of the bond.
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.
Kelley Jarzynka, Science, Robotics, AcaDeca teacher, is one of those who could see a beneficial impact from expanding the science classroom and robotics lab.
Jarzynka said her current room is completely full of equipment and students and it is a hands on, loud environment with many facets of learning ongoing at the same time.
As an example of the lack of space in her classroom, during the interview, students were operating remote controlled robotic equipment in the hallway outside of the classroom to have more room to maneuver.
Jarzynka said she feels the bond passing would be a “win-win” for the community because the school will have the necessary updates to help modernize the learning experience for the students.
The updates would allow Jarzynka to balance her students’ classwork. At the moment she could be teaching biology while other students work on their robotics in close proximity.
The bond election will take place by mail and ballots will be mailed out the week of Feb. 17 to the address on file for registered voters. Voters have until Feb. 21 to register online to vote and until Feb. 28 to register in person to vote at the Election Commissioner’s office.
All ballots to count must be returned before 5 p.m. on March 11. If mailing, place the proper postage on the envelope provided and send by March 1.
For more information, please contact the Ravenna Public Schools office at 308-452-3249 or visit the special website the district has set up at www.ravennabond.com.
