ANDALUSIA, Ill. — Rockridge School District is looking to get a change of scenery. The school has introduced a referendum on the November ballot that if passed, would fund a new elementary school for the district.
According to district officials, there will be no change to the local tax rate. The new elementary school would be located on the junior and senior high school campus, and that facility would replace the district's three current elementary schools.
According to Rockridge Superintendent Marcus Bush, the plan started about a year ago when they asked for public feedback on how to improve overall learning for students. Bush said a big topic of discussion in those community meetings was a need for more space within the schools.
"Rockridge has seen about a 20% increase in student enrollment for the last few years," Bush said. "And so we're running out of room at this point."
Bush said Andalusia Elementary School has been around since the 1930s. This is why the district is looking to transition to more up-to-date technology and facilities with a new building.
"We talk about wanting to provide a 21st-century learning environment for our students and our staff," Bush said.
Andalusia Music Teacher Abbigayle Hicks has taught at the school for seven years and previously attended as a student. Hicks said the lack of space in the old school has forced some services to move to the hallways.
"They have to happen in hallways, closets right now," Hicks said. "We're just completely out of space. And it's making it so that those services that facilitate the needs of students who have the highest needs are having to take place in very public spaces."
Even the library is in the hallway to make more room in classrooms. Travel further into Andalusia Elementary, you'll find a gym, a cafeteria and an auditorium — all located in one space.
Bush said the school also has no air conditioning, which forces the school to close when temperatures become too hot.
"It's time for us to bring Rockridge into this age of learning," Hicks said.
Bush said to afford the project, the district would replace a bond that will cost approximately $30 million over the course of of 30 years. He also details how because of this bond replacement, there will be no tax rate increase for locals if the referendum passes.