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Second bond vote fails for Oldham-Ramona-Rutland School District

Fans cheer for the Raiders in the ORR student section
ORR School District
/
Courtesy
Fans cheer for the Raiders in the ORR student section

For the second time, a school bond vote in the Oldham-Ramona-Rutland School District fell just short.

The nearly $16 million bond would have been used to build a new school for the area.

ORR district superintendent Dawn Hoeke said the proposal was scaled back significantly compared to the earlier version.

“One common response was requesting the project be scaled back with more of a focus on academics," Hoeke said. "The ORR school board listened and responded by cutting $2.6 million from the project. Scaling back the football stadium, practice fields and track allowed for the reduction in overall project costs. After making these cuts, the ORR school board voted to seek a second bond.”

At the end of the tally there were 326 “yes” votes and 273 “no” votes. However, that 54 percent approval did not clear the required 60 percent needed to pass.

This is the second time this year a bond issue has failed in the school district.

C.J. Keene is a Rapid City-based journalist covering the legal system, education, and culture