Grants Pass voters rejected a bond issue for two new middle schools and other physical plant upgrades in the May primary on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a bond issue that would have created new career and technical education (CTE) facilities in the Medford School District was losing in early returns.
The Grants Pass measure would have raised $138.7 Million in bonded debt to replace the two existing middle schools, North and South. Allen Dale, Highland, and Riverside schools were to get extensive repairs, roofs would have been replaced at Lincoln and Redwood schools, and other upgrades were planned.
Voters rejected the bond issue 55% to 45%, avoiding new property taxes to repay the bonds.
The Medford bond issue, worth $25 Million, took a major blow when the district's budget committee chair, Kevin Husted, came out in opposition to the measure. Husted said publicly that he didn't think the district spent enough time on the measure, and that other facilities already existed.
Still, the measure didn't miss by much: the first count showed it losing by 51% No to 49% Yes.
