High school bond election fails for a second time
CHRIS PETERSON | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 29 minutes AGO
An aerial view of the high school and the football field.
Chris Peterson is the editor of the Hungry Horse News. He covers Columbia Falls, the Canyon, Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness. All told, about 4 million acres of the best parts of the planet. He can be reached at [email protected] or 406-892-2151. | September 30, 2026 5:20 AM
The Columbia Falls School District 6 bond election failed to pass muster with voters, 2,430-1,547 Tuesday in a mail-in ballot.
The school was seeking $75.9 million to renovate the 66 year-old high school. A previous bond election in 2025 for $84.4 million also failed in November.
This time around the district trimmed some expenses from the project, but the 25-year bond still would have had an increase of $321 annually for a primary home assessed for $600,000.
The school district argued that changes in state tax law, which favor primary residences mean a lower overall school tax, basically covering the increase from the bond.
But the majority of voters still did not favor the bond, which would have paid for a complete remodel of the high school, upgrades to the administration office and upgrades to ball fields if there was any money left over.
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High school bond election fails for a second time
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