Here’s special elections results for nearly $200 million in school bonds

Three school referendums passed and two failed in Tuesday’s special elections when school districts asked voters to support multimillion-dollar projects

Most of the school referendums took place across northern Minnesota, including Nevis, Osakis, Pequot Lakes, Pine River-Backus, and St. Cloud. The southern outlier is Mabel-Canton school district, south of Rochester near the Iowa border.

The Nevis school district announced that voters rejected a $41.5 million referendum.

The money would have funded expansion of facilities, including a new athletic complex and more space for special education programming.

The district said its facilities are crammed because the student population has doubled since most of the school was built in 1987. The only gymnasium, built in 1957, is not enough to support activities and athletics.

Voters also rejected a $32.6 million referendum in Osakis, which residents rebuffed two years ago when asking for a $35 million bond.

The bonds would have paid for two additions, demolition of the 80-year-old auditorium and to repurpose classrooms.

Voters in Pequot Lakes passed a series of ballot questions, saying yes to a $55 million bond referendum that voters rejected in 2023. A 10-year $600,000 capital projects levy also passed.

The district had proposed security upgrades and deferred maintenance, along with an addition for woods, metals, robotics and other trades.

A second question asked voters to approve $600,000 annually for 10 years as a capital projects levy to support textbook materials and technology upgrades.

In Pine River-Backus, an $896,000 capital projects levy passed. It will invest in technology, equipment and building upgrades. The amount would be installed each year for the next 10 years.

An $8.94 million bond referendum in Mabel-Canton passed with 302 voters saying yes and 148 voting no. The money will be used to build a new career and technical education facility as well as tackle deferred maintenance projects.

Two questions asked voters to support $50 million in upgrades and renovations to Apollo High School, built in 1970 with little changing since 1990. A second question will bring in $15 million to build an indoor athletic facility at Apollo.

Five more school districts will hold special elections May 13.

Windom will ask voters to consider a $27.5 million bond question to upgrade athletic and fine arts facilities.

Fulda is requesting support of a $35.3 million referendum to create a one-building campus for all students in pre-K through grade 12.

Kingsland Public Schools in Spring Valley, about 25 miles south of Rochester, will have a $11.5 million bond request for an addition to the school building.