Rib Lake community needs to stay involved through school planning

There is little doubt that voters in the Rib Lake School District will be asked to approve a facility referendum during the April 2024 general election.

School district leaders are working to address the current and future needs of the district. There have been many exciting ideas presented, from repurposing existing building space to provide community daycare center needs, to building a modern, new gym in the space that is currently a parking lot between the middle and high school buildings and converting the existing gym into a performance space.

In early May, the engineers working with the school district on addressing the district’s current and future needs hosted sessions in the afternoon and evening to gather community input and help establish the priorities of community members when it comes to continued investment in the school buildings.

Those meetings were packed with standing-room only crowds of people looking to find more information and to express what they want, or don’t want to see as part of any project. At last week’s school board meeting, the engineers shared that they were thrilled to see that level of involvement from members of the public, noting that they have struggled to have any community engagement in some of the projects they have been involved with around the state.

This speaks highly of the Rib Lake community. While individuals may have differing views on the value of one part of the project over another, all of those who attended the listening sessions shared a commitment to providing a solid educational foundation for Rib Lake School District students and ensuring that they have a safe and healthy place to learn.

Over the coming months, members of the Rib Lake School Board and administration will work to refine the proposals. It is in this process that the tough choices will be made on whether or not parts are essential or simply nice to have.

Throughout the remainder of the summer and into next fall, board members and school officials will be asking for input from people in the district. Most of that interaction will be informal as they share in attending community events and activities. Others will be more formal, including a comprehensive survey that will be sent out to every Rib Lake School District household next fall.

The feedback, both formal and informal, will provide the basis for the school board to decide early next winter what, if any, request to send to voters. The end goal is to have a plan that voters will ultimately support both with their votes and their pocketbooks. Rather than the school board throwing proverbial spaghetti at the wall and seeing if enough of it sticks to make a meal, they are actively seeking input from everyone in the community.

The Rib Lake community has a strong tradition of supporting its youth and being involved in the education of their youth. In the coming months, stay involved and continue to learn about the wants and needs of the district and share your thoughts and feedback with board members, staff and administration and work together to keep Rib Lake schools strong.