Unofficial Results from RSD 17 Education Budget Referendum August 25, 2026

1. The BOE’s strategy worked exactly as predicted — keep going until voter fatigue flips the result. The No coalition went from winning by 214 in July to losing by 31 in August. That’s a 245-vote swing in six weeks.

   What changed between July and August

   – Late summer — vacations, back to school preparations
   – No coalition harder to mobilize a fourth time
   – Yes coalition — teachers, staff, parents — highly motivated with school year imminent
   – Budget figure actually dropped — $53,639,170 → $52,884,118 — a reduction of $755,052
   – That reduction was just enough to peel away marginal voters

   That $755k reduction is significant

   This is the first time the BOE actually cut the budget number after a No vote. After three identical submissions they finally moved — suggesting the July 15 result with its 366-vote combined margin genuinely scared them. The reduction of $755k represents about 1.4% of the total budget.

   What it cost to get here:
   4 referendums × ~$6,000 average = ~$24,000 in referendum costs alone
   Plus BOE staff time, communications campaigns, legal notices, community discord

   All to end up with a budget $755k lower than the original ask — which arguably could have been offered in June and saved three referendum cycles.

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