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Relief is on the way for overcrowded schools in Ridgefield, Wash. On Tuesday night, Ridgefield voters approved a nearly $47 million construction bond to pay for new classrooms, traffic flow improvements and other upgrades at the four schools in the district.

The measure received 2,775 鈥測es鈥� votes, or 64.84 percent 鈥� a decisive, but not overwhelming result. Passage required a supermajority of 60 percent plus one vote.

Tuesday’s result ends a streak of bond rejections from Ridgefield voters, who had previously passed just two bonds since 1991, according to district officials.

In 2008, voters rejected an $85 million bond for a new high school on a 29-acre property across the street from the existing one. Following that election, district officials worked with a team of volunteers and held frequent meetings with 26 鈥渒ey stakeholders鈥� in the community, according to Superintendent Art Edgerly. He said those conversations paved the way for the district to devise the latest proposal.

鈥淲e took a really good look at the proposed project and worked together every week to get the message out and identify the parts of the project that we felt would receive community support,鈥� Edgerly said. 鈥淲e’re very happy that it did.鈥�

The bond will provide money for critical improvements at the campuses of South Ridge Elementary, Union Ridge Elementary, View Ridge Middle and Ridgefield High schools.

Union Ridge Elementary serves 665 students, but was designed to hold only 400. The cafeteria/gymnasium is crammed during lunchtime, when some students eat while others participate in gym class in the same space.

鈥淏uilding a new high school didn’t resonate with a lot of folks, but you can see it when you go to the elementary school,鈥� said Randy Mueller, chairman of Citizens for Ridgefield Schools, an organization that has campaigned for the bond since August. 鈥淭hey are stretched beyond capacity.鈥�

The Ridgefield School Board approved a bond measure resolution Nov. 22, giving supporters two months to lobby for its approval. Citizens for Ridgefield Schools raised nearly $30,000 to aid its campaign, according to Mueller.

The district has worked with over the past year to come up with construction cost estimates. The Vancouver, Wash.-based firm will now begin the permit application and design work for the school upgrades, which are expected to be ready by fall 2014.

鈥淩idgefield has been one of the most engaged school districts we’ve worked with,鈥� said Casey Wyckoff, an LSW principal. 鈥淎nd now is a really great time to be doing construction.鈥�

The bond will pay for construction of 24 classrooms; five flexible spaces for cafeteria, band, choir and other activity uses; 245 parking spaces; improvements to athletic facilities and many other upgrades.

Ridgefield residents pay $2.11 per $1,000 of assessed home value for levies and bonds. With the new bond issue, they will pay $3.84 per $1,000.

District officials are hoping that the state will shoulder $2 million of the cost, according to Edgerly, but they aren’t counting on it. If that money comes through, however, it will be used to pay off a piece of the bond debt, he said.