How about this?  Let's remove Measure 97 from the ballot and the two sides supporting and opposing it donate their $7.25 million to the Department of Education.  The citizens and other entities who are giving money to implement or defeat it can also send their money to the Department of Education.  The state can then do a "kicker" by transferring whatever the total cost of placing this measure on the ballot to the same department.  Then we just repeat this process every election.  As far as I can tell, there is no downside here and everybody wins!