Voters have rejected Summit School District’s Ballot Measure 4A that sought to take out a roughly $195 million bond to fund infrastructure needs alongside other major projects, according to preliminary results published as of 8:53 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Those results showed 5,722 votes, or 42.22%, cast in favor of the measure and 7,832 votes, or 57.78%, cast against it.

Superintendent Tony Byrd released a statement at 9:26 p.m. conceding that the measure had failed.

“Though 4A did not pass, our commitment to each student’s academic and personal success remains stronger than ever,” Byrd said. “We are grateful for the valuable feedback we’ve received and will continue to work to provide meaningful, future-focused education opportunities in Summit County.”

Summit School District pitched Ballot Measure 4A as a way to create staff housing, build a career and technical education center, rebuild Breckenridge Elementary School, relocate Snowy Peaks Junior/Senior High School and fund maintenance projects. 

The bond would have bumped property taxes up by roughly $156 per year, which translates to an approximately $13 per month increase for a home valued at $1 million, according to the district.

Staff housing

Approximately $46 million of funds from the bond would have gone toward developing 60 units of below-market-rate housing for district staff. The district was planning to build the units on the former site of Silverthorne Elementary School, which is still district-owned land. Leaders at the district said the effort was created to help with recruiting and maintaining staff members amid high housing costs. A survey of nearly 400 district employees last fall demonstrated 48% were considering leaving Summit because of the high cost of living. 

Breckenridge Elementary

Another significant portion of funds from the bond, around $47 million, was planned to be used for demolishing and rebuilding Breckenridge Elementary School, the oldest school building in the district. It has a facility condition index — which gauges the ratio of a building’s repair needs to its replacement value — of 75.5%. A new 40,000-square-foot building would have been constructed on the same site to allow students to continue learning amid construction.

Snowy Peaks

The district also planned to allocate $37 million into rebuilding and relocating Snowy Peaks Junior/Senior High School. This project would have taken the students out of the district’s middle school campus in Frisco and moved them to Summit High School. The plan called for a new 31,000-square-foot building. Officials previously said the existing building is inadequate for students and staff and that the move would provide students with more access to career and technical education programs. 

Career center

Additionally, the bond called for $32 million to build a new hub for the district’s career and technical education programs, which officials referred to as the Career and Technical Education Innovation Center. 

Superintendent Byrd described the proposed center as a “mini-college campus.” Officials envisioned the center to be a 23,000-square foot facility featuring 10 classrooms and labs to boost hands-on learning opportunities. Officials also hoped to use the funds to remodel existing spaces for career and technical education classes at Summit High.

Maintenance projects

The district also planned to earmark $33.6 million for 133 infrastructure projects related to critical maintenance and capital improvements. Projects include plumbing and heating ventilation work, replacing outdated electrical, expanding counseling spaces, upgrading playgrounds at all elementary schools and more. At an Oct. 21 election forum, Byrd said a project at the top of the list is improving the internet for the safety of students.