Ridgefield School District Superintendent Nathan McCann prepares for the results of the Feb. 12 special election during a gathering at Hooküm Brewing. The $77 million construction bond the district had on the ballot failed, gaining only about 57.9 percent of the needed 60 percent supermajority to pass.
The close-to-final count of ballots from the Feb. 12 special election show the majority of North County school district measures came up short.
La Center
Of the four ballot measures put forth by North County school districts, La Center School District’s replacement for its expiring maintenance and operations levy was the only one to pass. Of the 2,429 votes counted, 1,293 were in support of the levy, or about 53.2 percent. La Center’s replacement levy is for the new maximum of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value, brought about by changes in state law on school funding. It is lower than the previous respective levy rates the districts had before the cap went into effect this year.
Ridgefield
Although a majority of voters in the Ridgefield School District were in support of a $77 million construction bond that, among other improvements, would fund a new elementary school, it required a supermajority of more than 60 percent to pass. As of the Feb. 14 count the measure had 3,558 of 6,147 total votes, or about 57.9 percent.
Ridgefield School District Superintendent Nathan McCann said that, understandably, the results were disappointing. During a gathering at Hooküm Brewing in Ridgefield for results Feb. 12 he stressed a continued commitment to the district’s “Pursuing Premier” mission given that population growth remains a chief issue.
“Just because this particular bond didn’t pass doesn’t mean that the need for more infrastructure and additional schools has gone away,” McCann said, adding he anticipated 1,400 more students in the next four years.
As to why the bond failed, McCann pointed to the property tax increases felt by homeowners in 2018, brought on by an increase to state school funding from the McCleary decision.
“I think it felt to some folks as more too quickly,” McCann said. He added that anxiety over the district’s rapid growth could have compounded voters’ decisions.
McCann also acknowledged that the district had passed a similar bond in February 2017 and given the short turnaround for another request, some voters might be wary. The 2017 bond passed with about 69 percent approval.
“It’s not ideal. We would love to have more time in between these bond programs,” he said.
Though the votes weren’t there to pass the bond, McCann was encouraged that the ballot measure failed so close to the needed supermajority given all of the challenges it had. He noted that compared to the average voter turnout of Clark County, which was 31.9 percent as of the Feb. 14 count, turnout within the district boundaries was close to 49.4 percent.
“I think there are a lot of people that did vote no that aren’t saying we don’t need it, they’re saying that this is a lot really quickly,” McCann remarked.
McCann said that another bond vote is on the horizon, but the timing would be determined by the Ridgefield School District Board of Directors after they have a chance to assess the situation. He did not believe that the measure would be “right back out” to voters.
“We want to be methodical. We want to go back and evaluate the situation and consider all options,” McCann said.
Hockinson
Both of Hockinson School District’s levies — a replacement for its maintenance and operations levy and a technology capital levy — failed. As of Feb. 14, the operations levy replacement had 1,278 out of 2,700 votes in favor, or 47.3 percent. The technology levy had 1,221 out of 2,654 votes in favor, or 46 percent.
Hockinson’s technology levy would have raised about $800,000 annually, going from an estimated rate of 45 cents per $1,000 of assessed value in 2020 to about 36 cents per $1,000 in 2022. The levy would update the district’s technology systems among other projects.
Following the election results, the Hockinson School District sent out a brief release thanking those who voted.
“Although this ‘no’ vote is disappointing for our school district and will require us to make some difficult decisions, this also is an opportunity for our community to engage in important conversations,” Superintendent Sandra Yager said in the statement.
