Deer Park School bond voted down by residents

Voters in the Deer Park School district voted down a $3 million school bond request, 207-126, in a mail-in ballot last Tuesday.

The district was hoping to build a new structure that would have connected the historic school house with a building that houses classrooms and a gymnasium to the north, under one roof.

An old quonset hut and the teacherage would have been removed under the proposal.

The bond, however, would have raised taxes on a home assessed for $200,000 by $300 annually, the district noted.

The school draws kids from as far away as Hungry Horse, but does not charge tuition for out of district students.

“I would like to thank all the community for casting a ballot, giving us input, and sharing some good ideas with the building committee. No matter how you voted, I think everyone agrees the quonset hut needs to be replaced and we have infrastructure, security, classroom space, and storage issues that have to be addressed,” principal Dan Block said in a post on the school’s website. “We don’t currently have a plan B, but we have a wonderful dedicated building committee — and talented maintenance worker Jake Horn — that will start working on a prioritized list and shorter terms goals to meet these needs. The search for extra funding will resume. My incredible staff will continue to offer quality programs in a positive climate and we will persevere and move forward in the ‘Deer Park Way’ — with creative solutions. I will also continue to lead with a primary goal of making Deer Park a school where everyone wants to send their children.”

Block said Friday that school enrollment continues to rise — they’re at 155 students this fall, about 14 more than last year.

He said over the course of the coming weeks, the school administration and the school board will access what to do next — whether it’s a scaled-down project or whether to upgrade the school’s existing buildings and infrastructure.