The Quilcene School District will ask voters again in April to approve a $12.3 million bond proposal for a new elementary school. 

At a special meeting late last week, the Quilcene School Board unanimously decided to put the bond proposal back in front of voters during the special election set for April 26.

Voters narrowly rejected Proposition 1, a 25-year bond measure to replace the existing Quilcene Grade School building, construct a new Career and Technical Education Building, and make athletic facilities and field improvements during the Feb. 8 Special Election. The proposal fell with 59.4  percent in favor, and 40.6 percent against. Prop. 1 needed a 60 percent “yes” vote to pass.

The decision for another election came quick, with the board approving a revised resolution for the bond measure during a nine-minute meeting Friday. Speedy action was necessary, as district officials faced a Feb. 25 deadline to get a resolution submitted to Jefferson County to place the proposition on the April ballot.

After the board’s approval of the resolution, the board also asked for volunteers for committees to write the pro and con statements for Prop. 1 for the Local Voters’ Pamphlet.

Two Quilcene residents volunteered.

Kathleen Kler volunteered to head up the “yes” committee to write a statement in support of a new Prop. 1 for the April ballot.

Kler said she, like many others, was “disappointed how close the vote was, but at the same time encouraged.”

“I feel that with an organized campaign we can get this bond approved for the community,” Kler added.

Roger Sorensen offered to write the statement against the bond measure.

Sorensen told the board he still has questions about the proposal, and also wondered why the district couldn’t wait until the November election to put it back in front of voters.

“What’s the rush?” Sorensen asked.

After the meeting, Superintendent Frank Redmon said the district is planning an expanded outreach effort with the community over the bond measure.

The proposal itself may see some tinkering, he added.

“We heard from some of our community who would like a more refined plan before they are willing to support the bond effort,” Redmon said.

“We are scheduling meetings with our staff and our community to take the plans we have and further refine them to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our students, our staff, and/or community,” he said.

Redmond said upcoming meetings will be announced on the school district’s website and on its Facebook page.

Prop. 1 fell by the slimmest of margins last month. 

In the first vote count on Election Night, Feb. 8, just one vote would have pushed it past the 60 percent threshold.

The measure fell further behind in subsequent tallies of late-arriving votes, even though most ballots counted after Election Day were in favor of the bond. The final, official vote tally was 474 votes in favor, and 324 votes in opposition. Turnout was 48.3 percent.