CCISD voters say narrow “no” to $175 million bond

By LYNETTE SOWELL 
Cove Leader-Press

With one of the most embroiled election propositions in decades, Copperas Cove ISD voters said “no” to the $175 million bond for district expansion projects – by 69 votes. 
When early and absentee voting results were released shortly after 7 p.m. on Saturday, the report showed that the Proposition was passing – but only by 48 votes, 882 in favor and 834 against. 
Then, the final unofficial report was released around 8:30 p.m. 
It showed that an election-day surge in voting killed the proposition, 1,261 to 1,192 votes, or 51.41 percent to 48.59 percent.  
CCISD paid for the expense of more voting hours as well as a portable building that was used as a polling location in front of the Copperas Cove H-E-B Plus. 
The CCISD board of trustees will need to canvass election results at a future meeting. 
The next meeting of the board of trustees will be held on Tuesday, May 14. 
It is not known at this time what the alternative will be, if any, for any of the proposed expansion and construction projects, with voters having said no to the single-item proposition. 
Shortly after 9 p.m. on Saturday, CCISD Superintendent Joe Burns issued a statement. 
“First, I’d like to thank each and every voter in our district who took the time to provide their input on the district’s 2024 bond proposal. While we are disappointed in the results of this election, we will always continue to put the needs of our students first and foremost in everything we do. We will look for another path forward, in order to address the needs of students in Copperas Cove now and in the future. I appreciate the efforts of our Facilities Advisory Committee over the course of 2-1/2 years in putting together a proposal they should proud of. We look forward to returning to classes on Monday, continuing to educate the students in our community.”