Defeated

It was a sad day for the kids at Mt. Vernon High School yesterday. The bond referendum that would have paved the way for a new high school was defeated 2980 to 4668. That means it was roughly 60% against, and 40% in favor. Some of you may recall that a few years ago a similiar proposal failed by 80% to 20%.

I would like to think that it may mean that eventually we will get a new school. However, having worked on both campaigns, I can't imagine what we could have done differently that would have made the kind of difference we would have needed. Here is the saddest part of all. At the place where I was watching the election results come in, someone said the voter turnout was about 13%. When you consider how many people aren't even registered to vote, that is just unbelievable. Such a tiny number of people are making such huge decisions. I simply can't understand the apathy that engulfs this town.

So now what? Well, if the state funds the construction grant anytime soon, we will have missed our chance. 30 million dollars will go down the road to the next community. I doubt the grant will come back anytime soon. If the state waits, we could still have another chance for a bond referendum. I can't see the same goup wanting to go through this again though.

Where will that leave the school? Who knows. It will probably take a kid getting hurt before something changes. The school is not safe, and it is an unpleasant atmosphere. Something needs to be done. It is now time for the opposition to step up and provide their answers to the problem.