A bond referendum for Anderson School District 4, S.C., was defeated by a large margin Tuesday.
The referendum was for a $79 million bond the Pendleton-based school district would have used to fund several projects, including a new middle school, athletic facility upgrades at Pendleton High School and improvements to roofs and HVAC systems at several elementary schools.
According to the unofficial results, 2,270 people voted in opposition to the bond and 956 voted in favor. About 21 percent of those registered in District 4 voted.
"The people of District 4 spoke very loudly," said District 4 board of trustees Chairman Tom Dobbins. "The school board will do what we have to do to make sure the budget is balanced and we will attempt to provide quality education for the students in District 4."
He said he expects there to be some tough decision in the future, but has full confidence in Superintendent Joanne Avery and her staff to move forward with alternate plans.
Despite the defeat, Avery said she is proud of the district and the work done by the committee to promote the bond issue, as well as the involvement of the residents.
"We ran the election based on community meetings and the district survey," Avery said. "Today the voters have spoken."
Bill Yackle, a Townville resident who opposed the bond issue said, "I think it was the right decision."
He said he believed his efforts, which included phone calls and fliers, helped spread the word and that several people joined a loosely organized group called Citizens Against Higher Taxes near the end of the campaign against the bond.
The large margin of the defeat was something campaign steering committee Co-Chairman Henry Martin did not expect.
"I'm disappointed," Martin said. "We felt we worked hard and didn't fare well. I was worried we'd get beat, but not like this."
Poll workers said on Tuesday that voting went smoothly with few problems.
By Tuesday afternoon, poll workers at several precincts had seen more people turn out than for the South Carolina Senate seat runoff last week. At Zion United Methodist Church, nearly 300 people had voted by 2 p.m. and 103 people had voted at Oakdale Baptist Church in Townville by 12:45 p.m.
Signa and Martin Stewart came about the same time to vote Tuesday at Oakdale as they did for the runoff last week and were surprised to see so many names on the sign-in sheet already.
"We were about 30 people further down the list and we came about the same time as last week," Martin Stewart said.
They both voted no, but they said their decisions might have been different if the district had provided more detailed information or reduced the cost of the bond.
"They didn't break down the costs. If they would have broken it down, it might have made it better to make a decision," said Signa Stewart. "It's tough. I would love to see the schools repaired."
Some voters were familiar with the bond referendum while others said they found out about it Tuesday.
Mary Carter of Townville was at the gym this morning when a friend told her to go vote.
"I watch the news, but I hadn't heard this," she said.
She said she didn't have to do much research as she knew how she wanted to vote.
Kelly Glenn of Sandy Springs was hopeful to have a new middle school for her fourth-grade daughter to attend.
"I hope it passes and I think it will help the community," Glenn said.
She had known about the possibility of a bond referendum since last year when the district held community meetings regarding long-range facilities plans. She said she participated in the surveys the district sent out last year regarding the district plans and that she had enough time and information for her to make a decision.
"I didn't want an elementary school to close," Glenn said. "I think smaller classrooms are better. I didn't want any teachers to lose their jobs."
A couple precincts have had some issues with the voting machines. At Zion and Oakdale, one machine wouldn't hold a charge and had to be left plugged in. For precinct clerk Margaret Thompson, that means that the vote count at Zion precinct might be off as the machine died while someone was casting his or her ballot. She said she isn't sure if the machine counted the vote or not.
She and other precinct workers said the machines are about 15 years old and need to be replaced.
