Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Gurdon Millage Issue Soundly Defeated

Though a 3 mill increase was soundly defeated by Gurdon School District voters, a proposed new middle school is not dead.

The Gurdon School Board had sought a 3 mill tax hike for the purpose of constructing a new middle school on the property where the current Gurdon High School sits.

However, on the school election, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 295 voters said no, while 180 favored the issue. The measure failed 63 percent to 37 percent.

In fact, the millage increase failed in all but one of Gurdon's voting districts. The zone votes went as follows: zone 8, 30-27; zone 9, 20-16; zone 10, 65-54; zone 11, 46-7; zone 12, 33 against and 41 for; zone 13, 49-20; zone 14, 43-11; and absentee ballots showed nine against and four in favor of the tax.

Gurdon Superintendent Bobby Smithson said he was disappointed with the results, adding the board had considered all alternatives before placing the issue on the ballot.

However, he said, there are three other alternatives which could help get a new middle school built in Gurdon, but all will require a second lien.

Smithson said the overall assessments will increase by four mill next year, which will give the district more money to use.

The problem, he said, was the district failed to sell the public on the need for a new middle school. "We didn't work hard enough," he said, "but we still have a chance to do it (build a new middle school). It will take more dedication and be delayed."

In the meantime, he said, the district will have to spend more money on the old high school. The board, now, will have to decide how much it's willing to spend on the structure.

"The apathy of the people is unbelievable," Smithson said. "Less than 25 percent voted. We focused mainly on parents. We thought they, and the teachers, would support the issue enough to squeak by.

"I expected 300 negative votes, and knew we needed more than 300 votes to win.

"The students are the real losers," he continued. "They're the ones who would have benefitted from it (a new middle school)."

Three new members were added to the Gurdon School Board during the election. David Williams will be the new representative for zone 8, getting 51 votes; Billy Tarpley will represent zone 10 (99 votes); and Stanley Allen Escalante will take the seat in zone 12 (63 votes). None of these candidates were opposed.