West Fargo Public Schools begins process of reassessing projects after bond referendum fails

(WEST FARGO) – The West Fargo Public School District is in the process of regrouping after voters in the district struck down the bond referendum earlier this week. West Fargo Superintendent Beth Slette says the work is beginning to reevaluate and look at the reasons why voters denied the referendum.

“The first thing we really need to do is collect information from our community to better understand their sentiment," she said. The information collection process will "likely take the form of a survey,” and will be available to all residents in the district. Among the questions may search for answers as to the low voter turnout.

Slette says the number of ‘no’ votes in the special election were consistent with those of the past years, where the bond passed.

“We want to engage our community more fully,” she said.

The next step would be to ask the school board to reconvene the long-range facility planning task force. The task force would include returning stakeholders as well as new ones, as the district looks to take a “fresh look at our projects.”

Slette says it will be important to have “many, many voices at the table.”

“I'd like to see us put the information out before the ballots are printed so that after that work is done, that we can get some feedback and then that task force can look at it again,” she said. “And then just making sure that people know where to come with their questions, and how important this vote is.”