$67.8 million bond for new high school in Shelley fails to pass
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SHELLEY — Voters in Shelley Joint School District 60 said no to a new high school Tuesday.
The district had asked voters to approve a $67.8 million bond to build a new high school. The measure narrowly failed to get a majority vote.
There were 1,007 people who voted no, which is 52%, while 944 people voted yes, which is 48%. Bond issues in Idaho require a 66.7% supermajority support from voters to pass.
“I have always said that I believe the more voters that vote, the better and we had a great turnout. The votes don’t lie. We will listen to the results and figure out what the best idea is and the plan moving forward,” Superintendent Chad Williams said after the results came in.
RELATED | Shelley Joint School District asking for $67.8 million bond to build new high school
Williams told EastIdahoNews.com in a previous interview that district-wide, they needed more capacity for students.
The current high school is past capacity. The capacity at Shelley High School is 650 students. However, there have been additions outside of the school to fit more students. Right now, there are 790 kids at Shelley High School.
“Based on the results of the election, the plan that we put forth is not the right plan or at least it’s not the right plan at this time,” Williams said. “Moving forward, we will seek input from all stakeholders to try and identify a better approach for expanding classroom space so we can absorb our student growth.”
Click here for election results.