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Vote for school referendum

By Staff | Nov 27, 2021

Mike McNeff, Superintendent of Schools, Rugby Public School District

The Rugby Public School District will host a referendum election on December 1st to approve an addition and renovation to Ely Elementary. The District has hosted three public meetings and gathered input through a community survey that was mailed to all residents within the school district.

Ely Elementary was constructed in 1965 and has a variety of needs that will be addressed through the proposed renovation and addition. These needs include addressing the following areas: additional space for a rising special education population, additional classrooms for band, choir, and courses in STEM careers, regular education classroom redesign to assist with small-group learning, redesign of car and bus traffic and additional parking, updated safety features at the main entrance, expansion of the cafeteria to provide more time for students to eat, and an expansion of the current gym for additional space for physical education and music.

The elementary school has grown from 220 students in 2006 to as high as 330 within the past few years. This has put a strain on overall space for students and teachers. When compared to five similar size school districts, Ely Elementary had the lowest square footage per student. This proposal is comprehensive and addresses all areas to make Ely Elementary a viable school site for many years to come. Due to expiring debt on the 2010 Rugby High School bond issue, the current mill levy will not increase. In addition, one-time federal COVID-19 relief funds ($1.3 million) will be used to buy down the cost of the project. In combination with the retired debt and the one-time COVID-19 relief funds, the district can complete this project with no increase to the school’s current mill levy. Personally, I compare it to my budget for my car payment. I want to spend the same amount of money for a car and periodically I’ll trade my car in to get something newer and more dependable while spending the same amount of money. In a similar way, the District will keep the mill levy the same while constructing an addition and renovation to improve our learning environments for the future.

You can vote on December 1st at the Rugby High School from 9:00 am – 7:00 pm. If you have any questions, please contact me at 701-776-5201.