CARUTHERSVILLE — After a contentious election cycle regarding the mergers of two school districts — Cooter and Pemiscot County R-3 — election day came down to a narrow loss. The total votes on the measure went in favor of the merger, with 239 voting yes and 140 voting no. Pemiscot County Clerk Pam Treece said she reads the Missouri State Statute as requiring both school districts to pass the measure for the ballot to pass, allowing the schools to begin a merger. Residents in the R-3 School District voted down the ballot measure 115-96; whereas, residents in the Cooter School District passed the measure 121-18. The law is described in state statute 162.223, subsection 5.