Kalispell voters have approved a $3.35 million elementary district bond request.

Of the 6,380 ballots cast, 3,798 (59.6 percent) supported the bond issue while 2,575 (40.4 percent) voted against it.  

Voters returned 49 percent of the 13,053 ballots sent out during the mail-ballot election that ended Tuesday.

“We are all breathing a sigh of relief and are grateful for the community support we received on this bond issue,” Kalispell Public Schools Superintendent Darlene Schottle said in a press release. “Our teachers and students have worked very hard to maintain standards as our classrooms have continued to grow.”

The bond money will fund construction of four additional classrooms and a multipurpose room at Peterson Elementary School plus four classrooms at Edgerton School to address overcrowding at the kindergarten through second-grade level and help the district meet state accreditation for class size. 

The money also will fund construction of a new central kitchen near Kalispell Middle School. 

Owners of a home valued at $100,000 can expect their annual property taxes to increase by $9.48 and $18.95 annually on a home valued at $200,000.

Based on a preliminary timeline, the district hopes to have the classroom additions open in fall 2013 and the kitchen completed by July 2014.