SHELBY — Voters in Shelby failed for the third time to pass a bond issue that would’ve built a new pre-kindergarten through eighth grade building in the district.
Unofficial final results from the Richland County Board of Elections shows the bond issue earned 54.48 percent of votes against the issue, and 45.52 percent of votes for the issue. The issue failed by a margin of 457 votes.
Shelby Superintendent Tim Tarvin thanked everyone associated with the community of Shelby who worked tirelessly on behalf of the bond issue.
“The Board of Education and the district’s administrative team will be meeting in the near future to discuss what options the district has to properly address our facility needs,” Tarvin said Tuesday night.
Shelby voters rejected the district’s first attempt at passing a levy to build a new school and a new football stadium on the Nov. 7, 2017 general election. Official results from the Richland County Board of Elections showed 2,263 votes (58.63 percent) against the bond issue, and 1,597 votes (41.37 percent) for the issue.
The issue was presented again with the football stadium at the May 8 primary election, and rejected again. Official results from the Richland County Board of Elections showed 2,229 votes (62.04 percent) against the bond issue, and 1,364 votes (37.96 percent) in favor.
The issue on the ballot Nov. 6 was a 2.8 mill, 37-year bond issue that would have cost Shelby voters $10.2 million.
If passed, the bond issue would have funded a 132,000 square-foot building for Pre-K through eighth grade students that would be designed to keep the primary, intermediate and middle school grades located in separate wings.
A new pre-kindergarten through eighth grade building would have combined the student populations of Dowds Elementary, Auburn Elementary and Shelby Middle School. Current enrollment projections of the new building are just under 1,200 students; Shelby High School has just under 500 students.
The last levy to build a new school building in Shelby was passed in August 2010 after three attempts. That levy funded the construction of the new Shelby High School, which was completed in 2013.
Auburn Elementary was built in 1948, Dowds Elementary was built in 1956, and Shelby Middle School was built in 1965.
Tarvin previously stated that if the issue did not pass, the district would have to go “back to the drawing board.”
“The board of education will have to have a real, serious conversation about how we move forward as a district,” Tarvin said.
