$99.5 million bond fails in Idaho Falls School District 91
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IDAHO FALLS — Idaho Falls School District 91’s $99.5 million bond failed with only 58 percent of the vote.
The school district needed a supermajority of 66.7 percent of the vote to pass. With only 58 percent of the vote, the bond fails. In November 2017, a previous attempt to pass a bond also failed with only 58 percent of the vote.
The bond would have paid for a new $54 million Idaho Falls High School, $28 million worth of extensive upgrades to Skyline High School and a $2 million project to transform the existing IFHS into a career-technical school.
Because the base $86.2 million bond failed, the optional $13.3 million “tiered” measure to build a $9.8 million performing arts center at Skyline and a $3.5 million “gymatorium” at Idaho Falls High also failed.
“Evidently there is not a sense of urgency within the community to upgrade and modernize the high school,” District 91 Superintendent George Boland told EastIdahoNews.com. “At this point, the board will have to look at the results and do an analysis of what the next steps are going forward.”
The D91 Taxpayers group called the bond’s defeat a victory for families, people living on a fixed income and small businesses.
“While we are pleased that enough of our supporters came out on this single-ballot election night to defeat this expensive and wasteful bond, our work is not over,” D91 Taxpayers spokesperson Lisa Keller said. “We once again ask the district leadership to step back from the no-bid route and explore all the options available. We ask that the community be allowed to give input at work sessions and that we work together on this. The time of dissenting patrons being shut out of the process needs to end. The taxpayers don’t want a wasteful proposal, and we entreat the board for the opportunity to be a part of coming up with a plan that the community can easily support.
Elsewhere
Meanwhile, Bonneville Joint School District 93’s $5.8 million supplemental levy passed with 64 percent of the vote. It will be used for general maintenance and upkeep for schools within the district. Click here for bond and levy results for east Idaho school districts.