COTTONWOOD — The Lakeview Public School District’s special election for a $250,000 annual 10-year capital project technology levy referendum has passed with unofficial results of a 59% passing rate on Tuesday, with 267 voters approving the levy, and 187 votes opposing the project.

The school board will canvass the official results at a special meeting on Friday.

The Lakeview School District is fully paying off the original 2002 building bond this year, and was looking to replace the retiring debt with capital purposes to renew or make updates with technology infrastructures, enhancing safety and security, digital curriculum and also make updates to a variety of projects like the Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, and other building and grounds updates.

“[We’re] pleased that it passed,” Lakeview superintendent Chris Fenske said. “Now, we’ll be able to plan for what we presented to the public, which was investing in some equipment, enhancing technology and things on the career-tech education end, and then be able to free up some funds as we have some projects that will be coming due, like with parking lots and roofing and things like that.”

The retiring debt eliminates some of the district’s annual debt payments, which has allowed Lakeview the opportunity to replace that funding with the new capital project without making a big change in tax impact for district residents, who will be seeing a slight tax-decrease in some cases.

Lakeview, who has also felt the effects of the state general education allowance not keeping up with the rate of inflation, had noted on its informational levy website that the district had fallen behind with project areas such as technology and CTE.

Lakeview had also made budget reductions this school year and last. The district placed a hiring freeze this school year, adding no additional positions, and reduced $147,701 from the budget last school year through retirement savings, third-party contracting, extra-curricular reductions and less spending on building and ground supplies.

The approved levy will update a handful of areas around the school over the coming years. Some projects include updated servers, cybersecurity, computer labs, security cameras, entrance and door technology and CTE equipment. Other projects to be addressed are updating Family and Consumer Science equipment, welders, greenhouse updates, shop ventilation and more.