Votes coming up 3 percent short

WARDEN — The $9.34 million Warden School District bonds proposal looks like it is narrowly failing during preliminary ballot counts.

Approximately 57 percent of voters are saying yes, but a 60 percent supermajority is required for bonds proposals to pass.

"We can hope there's a lot of yes votes that are going to be mailed," said bonds committee co-chair Aaron Golladay.

The bonds sale would fund an expansion and modernization of the district's cafeteria-kitchen and support services building, a new music suite addition to the cafeteria and a renovation of the high school gym, with the possibility of other projects paid for with $3.4 million in state matching funds.

The cafeteria was built to prepare 300 lunches daily when it was constructed in 1959. Today, approximately 1,000 breakfasts and lunches are prepared daily.

"I'm sorry that so far, it hasn't passed," District Superintendent Sandra Sheldon said yesterday.

Sheldon said the county added up 346 yes-votes, and 366 were needed.

Because of Warden's small size, tax payers must pay a higher rate based on assessed property value than some other districts, Sheldon said.

The district has a smaller tax base compared with Othello and Moses Lake. Moses Lake passed a bonds proposal in January for $33.8 million. An Othello bonds proposal for $28.6 million passed by approximately 67 percent, according to a preliminary vote count last night.

Warden School District board members are discussing their next step at the regular meeting March 22. Sheldon said the district has an opportunity to run another bonds proposal in May.

Sheldon thanked co-chairs Doug Skone and Golladay for their work on the committee.

"Those two gentlemen worked really hard," she said.

Golladay said he and his co-chair are not giving up the effort to fund the school's improvements.

"We're both very disappointed, but we won't give up," he said. "We'll find a way to get the district what it needs."