Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is on the November ballot for North Ridgeville City Schools? 

There will be two issues on the ballot this November. The first is a 8.65 mill bond issue levied for a period of 37 years.  This will provide the funds to build a much needed 9-12 high school with an attached performing arts center, a transportation facility and a new K-3 elementary school. The North Ridgeville Academic Center will become a 4-8th grade building and the Early Childhood Learning Community would be used for a Pre-K. This will alleviate the overcrowding situation in all of the district buildings, aside from the new North Ridgeville Academic Center, which still has room for growth. The new buildings include updated learning environments, modern safety and security systems, ADA accessibility, classrooms large enough and configured properly for today’s education, up-to-date technology to better meet students’ needs and space to accommodate future growth. The second is a permanent income tax levy of .2%, which would raise the tax level to 1.2% which is still far below many neighboring communities. This provides funding for the construction and operation of a new community and recreation center attached to the high school. This center includes a field house, indoor track, aquatic, fitness center and senior center. By the city and schools partnering together, the project qualifies for $31 million dollars of state funding through the OFCC and realizes $18 million dollars of savings through shared construction costs. In order to fully realize this plan, both issues must pass. 

Q: Why does North Ridgeville City Schools need a bond issue for new school buildings? 

A: The district has grown by over 100 students per year, for several years and are over capacity at Liberty Elementary and the high school. Further, the State of Ohio reviewed the school buildings and found they do not meet today’s standards for education. The high school is not ADA accessible and students are forced to learn in converted closets and hallways. Just this year, modular classrooms are being installed to accommodate the surplus of students. The elementary school which does not have a dedicated gym or cafeteria space is similarly crowded. Meanwhile, the district is making expensive repairs to temporarily address the needs of older buildings which drain dollars from education and is not a cost effective use of funds. The State of Ohio independently determined that it will cost nearly as much money to repair, maintain and renovate the schools than it would to build new facilities. 

Q: How much will this project cost taxpayers? 

A: The total cost of the entire project is approximately $227 million. 

Q: Why can’t the District just repair or renovate the schools?

A: North Ridgeville is one of the fastest growing districts in the state, with over 100 students being added each year. The high school and elementary school buildings do not have the capacity to handle these increasing numbers which are projected to grow even more. Further, the buildings are beyond repair and no longer meet the standards required for today’s education. The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) thoroughly reviewed the schools and independently determined the cost to renovate the buildings to minimum standards would be nearly equal to the cost of building new schools. They recommend replacement as it is more fiscally responsible. 

Q: How did the buildings get so bad? Did the District ignore repairs?

A: No, in fact, the opposite is true. District maintenance staff continue to do their best to keep the schools safe and in the best shape possible. This includes spending thousands of dollars each year on basic and “Band-Aid” repairs to expensive, outdated systems that no longer function efficiently. However, due to space shortages and the building's effective lifespan, most repairs are no longer enough. The high school and elementary school is not ADA accessible and is over capacity. Students are forced to learn in converted closets and hallways. Continuing to spend money on repairs and makeshift modifications is not the best use of District dollars. The most cost efficient, fiscally responsible action is to build a new high school and elementary school to accommodate the district for the next 75 years.

Q: How much money will the state contribute toward the project? What will be done with this money?

A: The state of Ohio through the Ohio Facilities Construction Committee will contribute approximately $31 million dollars toward the school's portion of the facility project. The North Ridgeville Board of Education at its August 16, 2022 meeting passed a resolution calling for the state's contribution to be used to pay down the bond, reducing the tax burden on the community.

Q: Where will these facilities be located?

A: The facilities will be located on current NRCS properties.

Q: When would this project be completed? 

A: Assuming successful passage of the electoral issues in November it is anticipated to take four to five years for project completion.

Q: What will be included in the community center? 

A: The initial planning calls for aquatic spaces, field house (courts, indoor walking track, etc) and space for a new senior center. 

Q: Will there be a membership fee for the community center?

A: The exact details of what, if any, membership fee may be assessed will be determined at a later date.

Q: Will the new high school include a performing arts center? 

A: Yes.

Q: What grade levels will be in the new elementary school?

A: The initial design calls for grades K-3 to be in a new elementary school. This will allow for expanded PK offerings and the ability to provide full day kindergarten.

Q: Do new buildings mean better education? How has the new Academic Center affected academic achievement?

A: As a district, student achievement has grown for the past four years. This year the state enacted a star system for its report card and North Ridgeville has most recently achieved the highest rating possible, 5 stars, for student growth. Students are “well above,” or “exceeding” what the State of Ohio expects. To hear more about the benefits of the academic center, view this video,

Q: Is there a model of the facilities and when would they be released?

A: An architect will be engaged after a bond issue passes. Project design costs between 8-9% of the total cost of construction and it would not be economically responsible to pay for these services before funds are available. This is a typical process for school districts

Q: Why are we doing a joint project?

A: By doing a joint project, we are addressing the needs of the community as a whole. Additionally, by completing a joint project, the community will save over $18 million in construction costs alone, plus additional operating costs in perpetuity over completing the project separately.

Q: Can revenue from the new income tax be used for other general government purposes?

A. No. The new tax revenues will be earmarked for recreation and community facilities, including the operations and maintenance of those facilities.

Q: What safeguards are in place to ensure the quality and costs of construction are maintained?

A: Public school districts must adhere to specific rules and regulations regarding construction projects. The District is committed to being as cost efficient as possible. It will conduct a thorough and value-based search to identify the best architect and the most capable construction management service providers. The construction costs are just estimates and each major component of the construction project will be competitively bid to ensure the District is getting the best pricing. 

Q: How will the credit be impacted?

A. Where residents are employed outside of North Ridgeville, they may claim a credit of 10% of taxes paid to their work community, so long as the credit does not exceed 10% of North Ridgeville’s income tax rate. This means residents can currently claim a credit one-tenth of 1% of earned income. After passage of the levy, residents will continue to receive a credit of one-tenth of 1%.

Q: With inflation the way it is, why should we build now? Why is this the right time? 

A: There is never a good time to ask for money. While we recognize that we can’t control world conditions or inflation, we believe it is the right time because it solves a critical need for space for the district. In 2019, the district placed a bond issue on the ballot to create these spaces. The exact same project was $140 million, and since then, construction costs have only risen. While in 2019, the issue didn’t pass, they knew they needed to ask again because the overcrowded conditions would only get worse. This is a natural evolution of the process that started then. The district will continue to place this issue on the ballot until the overcrowding issues are addressed. There is a real need for more space in the school buildings. That is why Issue 6 and 28 are separate. If the schools' needs are met in this election, they will move forward with those buildings. 

Q: If Issue 28 passes and Issue 6 doesn't, will the City of North RIdgeville still collect the income tax on Issue 28? 

A: In order to put the income tax into effect, the North Ridgeville city council needs to pass an ordinance. When the election happens, the community decides through a vote, but then council has to back that action up with an ordinance. Council will make a decision whether to enact that ordinance based on the results of the election. If the district doesn’t pass Issue 6, but Issue 28 does, we will table that ordinance on a shelf until June of next year, and allow the district another opportunity to pass a bond issue in May. We will decide what to do with that ordinance at that time but it will not be put it into effect unless both issues pass. 

Q: Why don’t we just stop the development that's happening in North RIdgeville to slow the population growth?

A: When you look at the growth of the community, North Ridgeville has increased by 22,000 residents over the last 20 years. The bigger subdivisions were approved in 2003 and those are coming to completion now. Due to this, the pace of growth will start to slow down slightly but there's still a lot of undeveloped land in the city of North Ridgeville. Much of this property is zoned and when a project comes to the city that is properly situated in that zoning we have a legal obligation to allow the development. We work with the property owners and the developers to arrive at something that's the best for the city but we are mostly obligated to allow that development. As a municipal entity, we can't just stop the growth or development. That said, you want a community to grow. You don't want a community that shrinks. There are plenty of examples in neighboring communities that have lost residents and usually there are consequences to that exodus. 

Q: With additional housing and the additional business moving into the community what does that do to the costs of this bond issue and the city income tax moving forward? 

A: A bond issue is essentially a “fixed sum levy.” It is not subject to house bill 920, so your taxes are not going to go up, if the value of your home goes up. We would still be dealing with the same fixed sum, regardless of how much your home is worth over time. Given the rate of growth in North Ridgeville, it's likely that the taxes associated with this levy would actually go down when new homes and businesses are added. Essentially you are taking the same fixed sum and now and spreading it over a larger tax base. This happens because there are more people who are helping to pay. With regards to the city income tax, as the population grows, that will generate additional income tax dollars. This amount will be utilized for additional operating expenses incurred by the growing community. 

Q: When are these issues on the ballot?

A: Both issues are on the November 8, 2022 ballot. On Election Day. Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Early voting in-person and by mail begins on Wednesday, October 12, 2022.

Q: How do I register to vote?

A: Tuesday, October 11 is the deadline to register to vote and be eligible to vote in the November election. You can register to vote or check your registration status at www.myohiovote.com. You can also register to vote online:  https://olvr.sos.state.oh.us/IdentificationInformation or in person at the Lorain County Board of Elections, 1985 N Ridge Rd. Lorain, OH 44055.