SISTERS, OR -- Supporters of the Sisters School District Measure 9-102 expected people to be surprised about the amount of money they wanted.  What they didn't expect was for the measure to be voted down by a margin of over 13%.  Sisters business owner Bill Willitts, from Five Pine Lodge, spearheaded efforts for the measure.  He said results were uncharacteristic of past years, when there was widespread support for school measures.  "There's a lot of negative feedback in the community," Willitts said. "We've got a great community, and ultimately I think they will support our schools ... I think we failed to communicate the importance of the school bond."

The measure would have approved $14.5 million in bonds to repair and improve school buildings and grounds.  It also would have provided funds for school safety.  Willitts said results are following a larger trend.  "People I think are a little bit more leery [to support issues] than I think five years ago," Willitts said. "We really need to communicate and build support to be successful."

David Asson agrees.  The Sisters City Councilor that was just voted in for another term. According to Asson, some of the ADA concerns, lockdown safety issues and other concerns that the bond money would have addressed can't be ignored going forward.  "We have four buildings, and all of them need substantial effort. I don't think we did a good job in presenting an issue to the populace," Asson said. "We'll have to do a much better job in getting the information out to the public, and perhaps even reducing the amount."