School Bond Passes with 86% of Vote in Favor

After months of lead up, and two previously failed bonds beforehand, a vote to approve the Bond Equalization for Malad School District 351 was passed by Oneida County voters by 1270 votes in favor to 195 votes against.

Despite the fact that the vote had been relocated to the high school from the Event Center due to muddy conditions, voter turnout was reported to have been steady throughout the day, and the high interest level in the issue was reflected in the numbers.

The bond had been heavily promoted by the School District, the PTO, the City and County, and other concerned parties.

During the lead up to the vote, Superintendent Jon Abrams held many meetings with groups to spread information and answer questions about the bond funding, the need for a new school, and plans for the future timeline. In addition to a public hearing on the bond, Abrams spoke to the Oneida Deputies, seniors, parents groups, and many others.

During the meeting with the Oneida Deputies John Williams, director of the Nell J Redfield Memorial Hospital, stressed the point that the condition of the current school created issues that a lot of people didn’t think about but which affected the community negatively. Highly skilled health care workers, he noted, had decided not to move to Malad in the past, based on the school facilities among other factors.

Mayor Hawkins echoed those sentiments, and further suggested that it was also a reason some businesses had elected not to move into town. “I don’t think people realize how important a good school building is to a town in so many ways,” she said following the election. “I’m just thrilled that this happened. This is going to be a great thing for our community!”

Following the election, Abrams spoke with the Enterprise about the results. “I am thrilled with the high percentage of voters supporting the bond,” he said. “I hope that it's a reflection of our efforts to educate the voter.

I enjoyed meeting with the different groups. I also appreciate the many groups that came together to help the educational process—a big shout-out to the newspaper to the Malad Elementary PTO for spreading the word about the election.”

Although the relief of having the bond pass is still settling in, Abrams is clear that the next steps are already being undertaken. “The Idaho division of building safety is currently reviewing the plan.

Once the plans have been reviewed and approved, we will bid all the different scopes of the project. Every aspect of the project will be bid. Our construction manager works with us to oversee the bidding process,” Abrams said. As to the ultimate timeline for the construction of the school, the weather has created some delays in the ability to plan some of the steps, as it has for many other activities in the valley. Spring outdoor sports season, for instance, have also been impacted by frozen and snow-covered ground. Still, Abrams predicts the delays will not be hugely significant in the long run. “In meetings, I mentioned that the timeline was very aggressive,” Abrams said. “This much-needed snow and rain have already

SCHOOL BOND On Page 2