RASD Announces 2022 Distinguished Alumni

The Ripon Area School District honored Jill Geer from the class of ‘88 as the 2022 Distinguished Alumni during halftime of the Homecoming game on September 30.

Jill’s career has been focused on helping U.S. Olympic athletes share their stories with the American public. It has taken her to six Olympic games and 18 countries as the Team USA spokesperson in track & field and gymnastics.

She grew up in Ripon with school, community and sports the family focus. She attended every home RHS and Ripon College basketball and football game. At home, Jill took turns reading the newspaper, did crossword puzzles and played trivia games with her family. 

Jill graduated with honors from Ripon High School in 1988 as a state champion in cross country and holding several records in basketball and track & field. She also played flute for the RHS band and served as drum major.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Arkansas, Jill earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history. She was an NCAA Championships participant in cross country, competed for the track team and was a writer and editor for the campus newspaper. 

In the 1990s, she worked as a journalist in Arkansas and Washington DC, where she was a news editor and wrote a sports column for Knight Ridder-Tribune’s national news service. In 1996, she was a production assistant for NBC at the 1996 Olympic Games, beginning her career in Olympic sports. She was chief communications & marketing officer for USA Track & Field for 19 years,  then spent two years as chief marketing officer for American College of Education and as a consultant for Parity, a company dedicated to generating revenue opportunities for female athletes. In 2021, she returned to the Olympic movement as chief communications & marketing officer for USA Gymnastics, helping the organization as it reached a settlement with sexual assault survivors and instituted protocols to protect athletes.

Although her career is international in scope, Jill volunteers at her Indianapolis neighborhood food bank, has co-chaired a statewide fundraiser for the American Cancer Society and has volunteered in multiple capacities for local churches and schools. She is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion and is a frequent speaker to college and young professionals’ groups.

Jill regularly returns to Wisconsin and credits her family and Ripon upbringing for instilling in her the service-oriented approach that has informed her career. She lives in Indianapolis with her husband and teen-aged son and has two adult stepsons.

Ripon Voters Consider Operational School Referendum on November Ballot

How Will the Referendum Help?

The Referendum would provide $850,000 of funds to sustain Ripon school operations in each of the next six years. The School Board is asking the community to support staff positions which are helping students recover from the learning loss and the social-emotional impact of COVID. The District will still seek cost-saving measures, new grant revenue, and shifting to self-funded medical insurance to address the budget gap.

Why is the Referendum Needed?

Ripon faces a gap in funding due to a three-year freeze in state revenue. The School Board temporarily addressed the freeze in revenue with one-time federal revenue from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grants. Now those funds are expiring, and it is unlikely new revenue increases for the 2023-2024 school year will match typical annual cost-of-living increases over the prior three-year period.

How Would an Approved Referendum Affect School Property Taxes?

If a November 2022 referendum is approved, the school property tax rate is still projected to DECREASE resulting in the lowest rate in 40 years. The rate is expected to drop by $0.12 to $8.17. This is partially possible because of a $13.9 million City of Ripon TID district closing. The closing of the tax shelter in the business park allows the District’s tax levy to be spread over new property value.State legislature provided taxpayers additional tax relief for the 2022-2023 school year. Projected increases in state equalization aid will lower property taxes, but not increase revenue for schools.

What Happens if the Referendum is Not Approved?

Roughly 73% of the District’s operating expenditures are staffing costs. RASD would balance its budget by reducing positions, including classroom teachers, reading interventionists, behavior interventionists, and pupil support staff positions, which are helping the District individualize instruction. Students in elementary schools would be impacted the most because learning gaps and social emotional needs are greatest in our youngest students. With a passed referendum, the Board looks to retain these staff positions and continue to support extraordinary student achievement.

More information about the referendum is available on the RASD website under the Community Tab.