District releases school election details

Officials at Barnes County North released the breakdown of Monday's special school facility vote Wednesday. The results show two of the three polling sites voting in favor of a new centralized school facility and one against. The measures failed to pass.

The $14.5 million project would have combined the separate school operations of North Central of Barnes, Wimbledon Courtenay and Spiritwood into one location just west of Leal on Highway 9.

Doug Jacobson, superintendent of Barnes County North, stressed that all district voters could vote at any of the three voting locations and the results did not necessarily represent the demographics of each area.

Question 1, the vote on whether to build a centralized school facility at a cost of $14.5 million, received a total of 424 yes and 439 no votes. It needed a 60 percent majority to pass.

Voters at each location voted as follows on question 1:

* Wimbledon: 221 yes / 100 no

* Spiritwood: 102 yes / 66 no

* North Central of Barnes: 97 yes / 273 no

Question 2, the vote to raise the school district's debt limit, received a total of 390 yes and 457 no votes. It also needed to pass by a 60 percent majority.

Voters at each location voted as follows on question 2:

* Wimbledon: 210 yes / 107 no

* Spiritwood: 95 yes / 68 no

* North Central of Barnes: 85 yes / 282 no

Both measures needed to pass for the construction project to proceed.

Sun reporter Keith Norman can be reached at (701) 952-8452 or by e-mail at knorman@jamestownsun.com