School construction bond failing

CHENEY — The $72 million facilities bond supporting construction of a new school in Airway Heights was failing in early returns.

With votes still to be counted, unofficial results in the Tuesday, Nov. 5, general election at press time showed 59.24% approval and 40.76% rejecting the measure.

So far, 7,870 ballots were cast in favor of the measure and 5,418 were opposed, records show.

Only 4 votes were cast by Whitman County residents living in the school district; all opposed the measure.

“That’s painful,” Cheney School Board President Henry Browne said after the early results. He noted the bond requires a super-majority vote of 60% or higher to pass.

If approved by voters, the bond will help pay for construction of a new elementary school in Airway Heights. In 2020, the school district purchased property on the corner of Craig Road and First Avenue where they will build the new school.

The bond would also fund land purchases for future schools,

renovations to Cheney High School’s stadium to add bleachers and improve Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility, and upgrades to bus loops and kitchens at Salnave and Windsor elementary schools.

A similar bond was previously rejected by voters in April, Browne said, noting it, too, fell short of the super-majority.

That bond, with a higher tax rate of 52 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation, garnered 54.5% voter support.

Spokane County still has about 31,000 ballots to count countywide out of the 211,562 that were sent to voters.

Officials do not know how many remained to be counted for the Cheney School District measure.

Voter turnout in the county, so far, is 56.35%.