Students react to $56.1 million failed bond

The $56.1 million bond to build a new high school in District 93 failed by 69 votes.

More than 4,800 people voted to pass the bond and just over 2,500 voted against it.

In order to pass a bond, there needs to be a”super”majority in favor.

“The school is awful, just walking up the stairways when the bell rings is the worst because the stairway space is small and you’ve got 500 some students packed up and down them,” Emma Beery said.

Principal Heath Jackson said as a father of four in the district, thebond’s failurehits home.

“I’m concerned as a parent. I’m concerned the impact(the bond’s failure)will have on my kids butI’m also concerned as the principal ofBonneville High School (of) theimpact it will have on our community to have such a division of when students are attending school whether that’s through split sessionsovercrowdingissues.There area lot of unknowns right now as to how we’re going to solve this issue,” Jackson said.

The $56.1 million bond wouldhavecost taxpayers $4.92 every month per $100,000 of taxable income.

The opposition believes that’s too much.

“It forces mother into the work place, it makes people have to sell their property in the district…which the taxes are so much higher than in district 91, it makes them move out of the area, it makes the area unattractive to those who are looking to move toBonneville County.Ah, higher taxes attack the families and they don’t help the community,” Halli Stone said.

Stone thinks thereareother ways to go about fixing the issue.

She said the district can bond for $31 million without raising taxes.

SuperintendentChuck Shackett said the district is thinking long term.

“The right thing is the high school. So, we can wastetaxpayersmoney and spend $31 million and do something that’s temporary, but then we have to come back and build the high school,” Shackett said.

Stone said what the district is saying is outrageous.

“Anyone that’s claiming now that our schools are unsafe and the firemarshalis going to crack down on us–whynow after a failed bond? Why not lastSeptember?Ha, exaggerated claims,” said Stone.

Thisisthe second time a bond to build a new high school has failed.

The last one would have cost over$92million.

Even with the numbers being so close, the district has not requested a recount.