Wright, Loudermilk elected to unified board of trustees

Votes were tallied Tuesday night for both the Ekalaka Elementary School District No. 15 and Carter County High School mail ballot elections.

Unofficial results show that Samantha Wright, incumbent, and David Loudermilk have both been elected to three-year terms on the unified board of trustees. Wright received the most votes of the four candidates who ran for school board with 281, Loudermilk received 234, Patricia Lovec received 193, and Sarina O'Connor had 81. There were 408 candidate ballots returned from the 643 active voters residing within Ekalaka Elementary School District No. 15, a 63.5 percent voter turnout.

Two of three levy propositions on the ballot for Ekalaka Elementary District No. 15 authorizing the school to impose an increase in local taxes passed. The first, a technology levy for $86,000 per year for three years passed with 243 votes for and 175 votes against. The new, three year levy will replace a $16,000 technology levy that was perpetual. The second levy that passed for the elementary district was a building safety levy in the amount of $33,000 per year for three years, $99,000 total. That levy passed with 223 votes for and 195 against.

An elementary building reserve levy in the amount of $150,000 over three years ($450,000 total) failed with 200 votes for and 218 votes against.

In the Ekalaka Elementary School District No. 15 levy election, 421 ballots were cast from 643 active voters, a 65.5 percent voter turnout.

Carter County High School voters narrowly passed a safety levy in the amount of $33,000 per year for three years, $99,000 total. The proposition passed with 267 votes in favor and 257 votes against. The breakdown by high school district was as follows: District 1 votes in favor - 14, votes against - 38; District 2 votes in favor - 23, votes against - 36; District 3 votes in favor - 230, votes against - 183.

Similar to the elementary election, a Carter County High School building reserve levy in the amount of $150,000 over three years ($450,000 total) failed with 242 votes for and 285 votes against. The breakdown for the vote by high school district was as follows: District 1 votes in favor - 6, votes against - 46; District 2 votes in favor - 14, votes against - 45; District 3 votes in favor - 222, votes against - 194.

For the Carter County High School levy election, 530 ballots were cast from 833 active voters, a 63.6 percent voter turnout.