Does one vote matter? About 12 votes meant passage for Kuna’s $40 million school bond

People who went to bed early Tuesday night may have missed the biggest news from Election Day:

Boise’s big win: Boise School District roared out of the gate with 88 percent of the vote in early returns and never fell below the mid 80s all night. The final vote was 86 percent for the bond, about 20 percentage points more than the required two-thirds vote. That’s the largest bond victory many educators can remember in recent Treasure Valley history.

Kuna wins a squeaker: Kuna School District won its $40 million bond by about a dozen votes from the 2,800 cast. And that didn’t seem possible as the tallies started rolling in Tuesday night, including losing 142 to 150 in the small slice of the district in Canyon County.

Kuna didn’t reach the required two-thirds majority until the last votes were counted. “This was en election where every single vote counted,” Kuna parent Amber Abercrombie said late Tuesday.

What about Whittier Elementary School? When Boise School officials announced Tuesday night the first construction projects to be built with the bond, Whittier was not on the list. It had been at the top a few week before. A Statesman reader wondered why.

The Whittier plans are still going through the city’s planning department, said Cody Dennis, district deputy superintendent. Construction could still start later this year. The district is working to salvage part of the original 1949 school to make it a community center, using the gym/lunchroom and several classrooms.

What will Boise’s High old gym look like? The bond voters approved will pay for an extensive renovation of the old 1936 Boise High gym Tuesday. The renovation will also include the adjoining band and orchestra rooms. School officials have released a proposed rendering of the gym entrance.

This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 6:59 PM with the headline "Does one vote matter? About 12 votes meant passage for Kuna’s $40 million school bond."