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PR school levy defeated by wide margin
Published 11:10am Wednesday, March 13, 2013Voters in Pelican Rapids soundly defeated a bond proposal to improve the high school, with 851 voting yes (38.9 percent) and 1339 voting no (61.1 percent).
Wednesday morning, school superintendent Deb Wanek was reflecting on some of the input that she had heard.
“Some people voted no because they didn’t want more taxes, but some people voted no because they wanted a new school building,” Wanek said.
The $18.5 million in bonds would have been used to remodel and upgrade the high school. The district hoped to resolve problems with a building, originally built in 1928, and tacked onto over the years to create a maze on eleven different levels.
“We’re still ADA compliant, but it is difficult to get around,” Wanek said. “The problems are not going to go away. The board will meet Tuesday night to re-evaluate and discuss next steps.”
Wanek added that the board will discuss the the fate of the task force — the citizens group that worked on assessing the needs of the school prior to the vote — including whether to keep it active or make changes.
Pelican Rapids has 470 students in grades 7-12.
“We’ve got such wonderful programs but its hard to showcase them with the current condition of the school,” Wanek said.
