Jay Kulbertis

GLADSTONE –Following the dismissal of the two school bond proposals by voters on Tuesday, the Gladstone Area Schools superintendent issued a statement to staff and parents. In the letter, Superintendent Jay Kulbertis suggested that the economic climate was largely to blame for the ballot failing at the polls but assured people that the failure to secure the requested $21.7 million would “not be used as an excuse” and that the district would continue to do its best for students.

Kulbertis thanked everyone who helped with the election, particularly Brighter Braves Future, the community advocacy group who held forum after forum at various times in different Gladstone locations, from school buildings to local businesses.

“Every single interaction with (Brighter Braves Future) was inspiring and motivating, and we cannot thank them enough for their tremendous effort and support,” wrote Kulbertis in the letter, which was sent out Wednesday afternoon.

He reported that the district is “disappointed in the result of the election, but not disappointed in our community.”

It wasn’t by a massive margin that the proposals failed — 44.1% of people said “yes” to Proposal I; 41.7% said “yes” to Proposal II.

Of all registered voters in the district, 26% turned out to the polls.

The understanding is that while the citizens care about the schools and Gladstone students, the moment was not ideal for voters to approve another tax.

“…Unfortunately, the turbulent economic times were too much to overcome,” Kulbertis wrote.

At the next school board meeting of May 17, the election will surely be discussed, but Kulbertis said it’ll probably be too soon to make any decisions about what their next steps towards securing their desired projects will be.

“We will take some time to regroup and then analyze our priorities and options. A large influence will be the upcoming state budget,” he said.

“We will still continue to do great things for our students. We will continue to model the lessons we teach our students about facing challenges, overcoming adversity and doing the hard things. What makes Gladstone Area Schools such a wonderful school district will be illustrated in how our school team comes together and keeps the focus on our students.”

Issuing thanks to all who supported the efforts, Kulbertis concluded, “Remember, we still have work to do, and our students are still worth it!”