Ridgway Path Forward

3. Path Forward

Objective - To obtain feedback from the community to inform the next steps
for the school district as part of the Facilities Master Plan process

Board of Education

The Ridgway School District R-2 Board of Education will meet to discuss and approve an option for each district building. The Board policy on Facility Project Priorities states four broad categories for facility improvements and these parameters will guide the Board's decision. A link to the prioritization document is below

BOE Project Priorities

Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) Grants

The Ridgway School District intends to submit an application for a Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) grant administered by the Colorado Department of Education for renovations and improvements to the Elementary School Building. A successful grant award would contribute 44% of the project costs based on the statutory matching fund's formula. The application period begins in January of 2021 with application reviews and scoring occurring in May of 2021. The status of the grant application would be known prior to the Fall 2021 anticipated election. Option E2.2 could be executed without raising taxes through a continuation of the current school bond measures and fund project beyond that which the district could afford without a BEST grant. It should be noted that the available grant funds for BEST in 2021 is expected to be limited due to a reduction in statewide revenues. It would also be possible to apply for a BEST grant in future years.

BEST Grant Website

Bond Initiative

The PAT & RTA are not proposing any new bonds at this time, but rather obtaining feedback from the community to determine if a school bond is warranted and would be supported. In the event that the Board of Education moves forward on facility improvements, funding could be provided by continuing the current bond measure by election and possibly obtaining a BEST grant. If Option E2.2 is desired and a BEST grant is not received, funding could be obtained by increasing the Bond Measure by the amounts indicated below. The following information will be updated in the master plan conclusion once the finalized preferred alternatives and cost estimates are known. Below is an estimate based on the information available today.

The school district may also consider a Mill Levy for the purpose of increasing teacher salaries. Currently, RSD ranks near the bottom on teacher salaries when compared to all of the other area school districts. To retain good teachers and provide our teachers the means to afford local housing, we need to meet or exceed other area school districts' teacher compensations.

Options with no increased taxes:

Current Bond Measure could be extended by the voters with no increase in taxes - (Current Bond Measure Expires in 2023)
This tax continuation would support up to $11M in expenditures.

This funding could support Option E1 or Option E2.2 if a BEST Grant (BEST would pay 44% of project costs) is received. This funding could also support improvements at the Secondary School.

Options that may include a bond measure tax increase:

In the event that the community and the school district desires the more extensive E2.2 renovations to improve the learning environment at the elementary and a grant is not received, a larger bond measure could be considered. The following increased taxes would support $15M in expenditures.

Bond Measure Tax Increase to fund E2.2 (approx $15M) - Expires in 2041
Households - per $100,000 appraised value = $25 increase/year
Businesses - per $100,000 appraised value = $100 increase/year

*Note that the tax calculations above are preliminary in nature and are affected by current interest rates, bond market conditions and also by measure 3B on the ballot. Exact figures will be provided prior to any ballot measures moving forward.

Review the following interactive timeline to see a history of school district bond measures and improvement projects.

Next Steps

With the information obtained through this process, the Planning Advisory Team will make recommendations for the Board of Education to consider. Decisions on a scope of work for each school need to be made by the spring of 2021 in order to place a bond measure on the ballot for November of 2021. If a BEST Grant is pursued, the application would be made in February of 2021 with results known by May of 2021.

Possible Timeline

Notice of BEST Grant award - Summer 2021
A potential bond measure on the ballot - November 2021
Bond Sales, Planning and Design - January 2022 to August 2022
Abatement of asbestos - Summer 2022
Placement of temporary Classrooms - Summer 2022
Construction Commences - Fall 2022
Construction completion and occupancy - Fall 2023

Planning Advisory Team Meeting #6
Meeting Record (PAT Recommendations)

Survey

Our goal is to collect community feedback to inform the final decisions of this master planning process. Please follow the link below to complete a survey where your responses will be logged and reviewed with the PAT to determine how we can improve these options, finalize improvements, and conclude the master plan.