It's over, though still unofficial. Voters rejected Duchesne County School District's proposal to borrow $49 million to build and upgrade schools, according to unofficial vote counts.
The bond failed by a healthy margin with 1,699 "no" votes and 1,175 "yes," said Duchesne Business Administrator Dee Miles, who blamed the defeat on poor timing on the heels of the recession. "We're a little disappointed."
The bond would have paid to replace 50-year-old Altamont and Union high schools, refurbish elementary schools and build a new elementary school in Roosevelt. And unlike two larger school construction bonds that passed Tuesday, the Duchesne proposal would have cost taxpayers an average $168 per year, possibly more if home values fall as some have predicted.
How the district now plans to pay for years of deferred school repairs and accommodate enrollment growth of about 100 students a year, Miles couldn't say. "We'll just have to go back to the drawing board and re-prioritize."
But Duchesne Superintendent John Aland was in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, canvassing school buildings for ideas for the new elementary in Roosevelt.
