Stewartville voters reject school bond referendum

(ABC 6 News) – Voters within the Stewartville School District rejected school bond referendum questions 1 and 2 on the Minnesota Primary ballot Tuesday.

Stewartville Public Schools were looking to pass two ballot questions with a more than $38.5 million bond issue.

Question 1: 71% no, 29% yes.
Question 2: 72% no, 28% yes.

RELATED: Breaking down the ballot: Stewartville Public Schools referendum

The district issued this press release:

Stewartville School District voters rejected both Bond Referendum questions on the August 9 ballot. The unofficial election results are: Question #1: 818 YES (28.63%) and 2,039 NO (71.37%). The results for Question #2 are 783 YES (27.67%) and 2,049 NO (72.33%). The official results of the election will be canvassed by the school board at a Special Meeting on Monday, August 15 at 7:00 p.m.

Despite the result from this referendum, the Stewartville School District remains committed to finding acceptable long-term solutions that will benefit students, staff, and community residents.

“While we are disappointed in the result of this election, we respect the decision made by voters and thank everyone who took this opportunity to make their voice heard,” said Superintendent Belinda Selfors. “Our district is committed to continuing to provide our students with a high-quality education.”

Based on the current status of school buildings, in particular Central Education Center, Bonner Elementary, and the Middle and High Schools, future and ongoing investments will be necessary to address the needs of the School District’s facilities.

School Board Chair Nichol O’Neill stated, “The current challenges of our school facilities are not going away and will need to be solved. We will continue to engage families, students, staff, and community members into the process to determine the best solutions and the next steps for the school district.”

Superintendent Selfors added, “As we move forward, our focus will not change and does not stop with this setback. The discussion and decisions regarding our facilities have always been about what is best for our students. We will need to determine the next steps necessary to provide up-to-date, healthy, and safe learning environments for our students."