Surrey school faces post-election decisions

Local News Surrey school faces post-election decisions By JILL SCHRAMM November 10, 2026 4 min read MDN File Photo A $5.8 million bond issue that failed to pass in unofficial election results potentially leaves the Surrey School District with decisions to be made about its school facilities. Trending SURREY - Preliminary election results that show a Surrey Public School bond issue failed by five votes has left the Surrey School Board with decisions to make. Among them is whether to challenge the election results because of street coding errors that kept 12 district voters in McHenry County from receiving a ballot that included the bond issue. In a letter to the school board and administration, Secretary of State Michael Howe mentioned the option for the Surrey School District to contest the election through the court system. He said he would provide a letter of support for the effort if the district goes that route. Surrey Superintendent Steven Bucks said the school board could discuss the option at its regular meeting Thursday, Nov. 12. However, no action would be taken until canvassing is completed. The district also won't decide how to proceed in light of the bond issue vote until after the Ward and McHenry county canvassing boards meet on Monday, Nov. 16, and the state canvassing board releases official election results on Nov. 18. The school board proposed the $5.8 million bond issue to address several building challenges. Portable classrooms installed in 2012 are nearing the end of their lifespan. In 2024, the State Fire Marshal identified safety concerns with the connection between the main school building and the portable classrooms. Portions of the building have aging windows, flooring, fixtures and ceilings that have not been updated in decades. The roof has structural concerns under heavy snow loads. There are issues with stairs not meeting commercial building code requirements, guardrails and open risers that do not meet safety standards and wheelchair ramp slopes that exceed accessibility limits. "Our administrative team has been preparing for either outcome of this election," Bucks said in a statement to the community on the school's website. "We are developing a plan to accommodate students and classrooms within the main school building. Once completed, that proposal will be presented to the School Board for review and consideration. We will share details as plans are reviewed and decisions are made." District voters narrowly defeated a 20-year, $5.8 million bond issue in June. On the second try on Nov. 3, the bond issue failed 465-317, based on the unofficial tally. Because the measure requires 60% for passage, 470 votes were needed. The error related to the distribution of ballots in McHenry County has raised concern given the close outcome of the election. Howe reported a review conducted with the McHenry County Auditor's Office found eight street segments had improperly coded addresses for 13 households in the rural area surrounding the city of Deering. These addresses have 29 eligible voters, of whom 12 participated in the general election and received a wrong ballot. "Indeed, it is speculative on how those 12 voters would have voted if given the opportunity to weigh in on the ballot question, just as it is speculative if others would have participated if they knew the question would be on their ballot. What is certain is that they were not given a choice at all, and for that I apologize with all my heart," Howe wrote in his letter. Howe stated the error occurred because a member of the Secretary of State's team at the time did not exercise due diligence in working with McHenry County to make corrections to new street segments for 2026. "This review leaves me incredibly frustrated, and I am terribly sorry that the impact this mistake may have on the Surrey School District, the town of Surrey, and neighboring communities and businesses," Howe wrote. "Our office takes great pride in working with our partners in all 53 counties to ensure every eligible voter has the ability to participate and elect leaders, as well as deciding questions posed to the citizens of each jurisdiction. Put simply, the oversight of the North Dakota Secretary of State's office and McHenry County has failed you in this." McHenry County has corrected the mistakes regarding the street segments, Howe said. For 2028, the Secretary of State will be implementing new software using GIS map modeling that will alleviate the manual input process for street segments and address coding. The Legislature previously approved funding for the software. Also, in his message to the community, Bucks sought to dispel misinformation that the school might have to close or adjust staffing or classroom arrangements because of the failed bond issue. "Our commitment to educating and supporting our students remains strong," Bucks wrote. "As we work through our facility challenges, our priority is to provide safe learning spaces while minimizing disruption to students, families, and staff."