BOISE - Voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a $172.5 million school bond that will allow the Boise School District to complete dozens of major projects, including the construction of six new schools.
About 86 percent of the voters who turned out at the polls cast ballots in support of the bond.
Boise Schools spokesman Dan Hollar tells KTVB that the strong showing was thanks in large part to a grassroots effort that included parent-volunteers and groups like Friends of Boise Schools.
"We couldn't have done it without their support," Hollar said of the get out the vote effort. "We don't take that for granted."
Hollar added that the process of informing voters about the need for the bond began about 18 months ago.
"It's really an enormous amount of time that these volunteers took," he said. "About a thousand volunteers that we understand were out every day making sure that they were communicating with our patrons."
As for voter turnout, about 24 percent of registered voters went to the polls in the Boise bond election. While that number is low compared to the 88 percent turnout the county saw in November's general election, it was nearly double the turnout in the West Ada School District on Tuesday. Voters there narrowly approved a 10-year, $160 million plant facilities levy.
Also in Ada County, the Kuna School District got the green light on a $40 million bond and a $2.5 million levy. Both measures were approved with about 69 percent of the the vote.
Ada County election by the numbers:
-41,637 total ballots were cast in Ada County
-18.4% of the county's 226,394 registered voters turned out
Boise bond:
For: 22,084 (86%)
Against: 3,595
Total: 25,679
Turnout percentage: 24.3%
West Ada levy:
For: 8,526 (63%)
Against: 5030
Total: 13,556
Turnout percentage: 12.4%
Kuna bond:
For: 1,657 (69%)
Against: 733
Total: 2,397
Turnout percentage: 21.1%