A $40 million school bond proposal to pay for improvements to the General Shafter Elementary School south of Bakersfield, Calif., has been defeated by one vote.
BakersfieldNow.com reports that the final, official vote in the General Shafter district's June 7 bond election showed the rural system came up just shy of garnering the 55 percent needed for approval. The final tally was 80 for (54.4 percent) and 67 against (45.6 percent).
If one no vote flipped to yes, the funding request would have been approved.
The bond proceeds would have paid for substantial improvements to the district's one K-8 campus, which is made up mostly of temporary buildings.
The improvements also would have put the district in better position to address what is expected to be a development boom in the area. The district includes land where a proposed community, the Tejon Ranch development, is in the planning stage.
Video from BakersfieldNow.com: