Othello school bond failing

OTHELLO — Othello School District voters are rejecting a $61.4 million construction bond proposal in a special election Tuesday.

In unofficial results, the proposal had 501 “yes” votes and 489 “no” votes, 50.61 percent in favor and 49.39 percent opposed. Because the bond proposal is a revenue request, it had to receive at least 60 percent approval to pass. Vote totals included both Adams and Franklin counties.

“Not enough,” said Othello School Board chair Rob Simmons.

Othello superintendent Chris Hurst and school officials did a lot of work to involve the community and find out what district patrons wanted, Simmons said, and a lot more work to inform district patrons about the final proposal. However, “something about this, this was not what 60 percent of them want to do,” Simmons said.

The money would have paid for a new elementary and middle school, and for enlarging and remodeling Othello High School.

District officials have the option to run a bond proposal a second time in 2018, the current proposal or a revised one, but Simmons said it's too early to know if the board will take that option.

“Do we go back to the drawing board? I don't know the answer.” Whether or not a bond proposal goes to voters again this year, the board will keep looking for answers to the issues that prompted the proposal, he said. “I'm positive we'll figure it out.”

Othello School Board members, district officials and Othello residents discussed various possible combinations for a construction bond for more than a year before settling on the proposal put before voters.

If the bond had passed, property owners would have paid 96 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. The final proposal included the new middle and elementary schools on district-owned property at the intersection of Lee Road and 14th Street. The proposed OHS remodel would have increased capacity to 1,500 students and would have added a third gym and a new auditorium.

Originally there was discussion about building an athletic complex on the Lee Road property also, but that was dropped from the final proposal.

The next vote count is scheduled for Wednesday, with the election certified Feb. 23.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.