Low Wheat Prices May Have Hurt Levy

Thu., May 21, 1998

From Staff

Anxiety over sagging wheat prices may have played a role in the defeat of a $4.5 million school bond levy in St. John, Wash.

The measure was rejected Tuesday by 60 percent of voters, 209-136. The money would have been used to renovate the town’s K-12 building, built in 1954.

Although the community regularly supports the school by passing maintenance and operation levies, this is the second bond levy to fail in two years.

“I think the economic slump right now in farming really affected it,” said district business manager Evelyn Beck. “Naturally, we are all disappointed. We’re at the point of having to regroup and see how we are going to deal with the high-cost issues we are facing.”

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