It was closer this time, but the Battle Ground School District failed to pass a bond yet again.
As of print deadline, with only 300 ballots left to count across the entire county, 9,540 voters within the district had voted in favor of the $224.9 million construction and renovation bond, an approval rate of 58.6 percent. Those voting against totaled 6,733, a rejection rate of 41.4 percent .
Although almost 3,000 more voters checked “yes” on their ballot, the bond needed a super majority of 60 percent to pass.
The bond would have funded a number of smaller projects across the district along with the replacement of decades-old schools — Pleasant Valley schools, primary and middle, built in 1977; and Glenwood Heights Primary and Laurin Middle School, built in 1966. It would have also funded two new facilities — a primary and middle school located in the southeast corner of the district and an Alternative Learning Experience campus.
The last bond ran by the district, in November 2016 for $80 million, failed as well, with an approval at just over 55 percent.
The last time the district passed a bond was in 2005, at 60.9 percent approval, which is the only bond that has passed in the district over the last 20 years.
Funding from that bond purchased additional classrooms at Captain Strong Primary and for the building of Amboy Middle, Chief Umtuch Middle, Daybreak Primary and Middle, and Tukes Valley Primary and Middle.
“"It's difficult to see us so close when so many people worked so hard on this bond effort,” said Superintendent Mark Ross. “I want to thank all of our citizens who did support our bond. The fact remains we still have older buildings that are becoming more and more crowded even on a monthly basis. We will need to meet with our school board in the coming weeks to make some difficult decisions how to address the issues that still exist with the bond not passing."
