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Voters approve Ely School expansion

By Sue Sitter - | Dec 11, 2021

Voters in the Rugby Public School District approved by a wide margin a bond referendum to expand the Ely Elementary School campus in a Dec. 1 special election.

The referendum, which needed voter approval at 60 percent to pass, received support from 624 voters for a 79 percent majority. “No” votes numbered 161, or 21 percent. Vote counters received one non-vote.

In an email message, Rugby Public Schools Superintendent Mike McNeff said, “The overwhelming support for the Ely referendum is a testament to our progressive community.”

“I want to thank our school staff and our citizen’s committee for all of their hard work in helping to spread the message. Finally, I want to thank our parents and community members for their support in helping to approve this project,” McNeff added. “It’s a great time to be a member of the Rugby community and we are looking forward to starting construction this summer.”

The construction project will be funded in part by the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Act and in part by extending an existing mill levy that paid for expansion on the Rugby High School campus.

The project will expand Ely Elementary School’s cafeteria and gym and add space for special services and a STEM, or science, technology, engineering and math lab. The project will also create areas for student drop-off and pickup, buses and staff parking.