Battle Lake school district ballot measure approved by voters Tuesday; Lake Park-Audubon, Wadena-Deer Creek initiatives fail

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – Results are in from lakes area school boards balloted bond and budget initiatives from Tuesday night and, for the most part, they failed across lakes country.

Lake Park-Audubon Public Schools were denied by voters to increase its general education revenue by $610 per pupil on a 56% to 44% vote. 920 ballots were cast out of more than 3,500 registered voters.

In Wadena County, the Wadena-Deer Creek school district voted down a similar measure that would’ve raised revenue by $790 per pupil on an overwhelming 79% to 21%. 2,027 ballots were cast out of nearly 4,300 registered voters.

Additionally, a second ballot question for the Wadena-Deer Creek school district would’ve raised up to $17.7 million in general obligation bonds for school site improvements and maintenance, however, that measure also failed by an even wider margin, 82% to 18%.

The only successful school district ballot measure in the lakes area on Tuesday was in Otter Tail County.

Voters approved the Battle Lake school district to raise up to $30.5 million in general obligation bonds for school site improvements, upgrades and renovations on a 56% to 44% vote.