$25.5M Carmel School Bond Proposal Voted Down

For the second time in less than a year, Carmel taxpayers defeated a school renovation bond plan, this time worth $25.5 million.

Carmel Schools Superintendent Andy Irvin had stressed the urgency of new roofs.
Photo Credit: *Daily Voice file*

Jon Craig

10/03/2018 9:43 a.m.

Tuesday night's unofficial results were 1,334 votes against the bond issue and 1,192 Carmel residents for it.

Carmel School Superintendent Andy Irvin has said the roofs at all five schools are more than 30 years old and need to be replaced. He also said there was a flood at the high school this summer.

The most sensitive part of the proposal was $11.7 million for a new garage to house the district's school buses.

That would have taken land off the tax rolls in the Town of Kent.

The $25.5 million bond proposal also included:

$12 million to replace roofs.
$822,095 for changes required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
And $595,000 to renovate the George Fischer Middle School library.

School officials estimated that state aid would have covered about $21 million of the $25.5 million in projects, but voters still wouldn't buy in.

Voters also rejected a larger bond issue in December 2017.

The Carmel Board of Education plans to meet next week to discuss what to do next.

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