No joy in Mudville: Levy failed.

The Madison (Ohio) Local School District's big levy went down to defeat for the second time yesterday, losing 2,960 to 2,722 with just 48 percent of the registered voters heading to the polls. It lost 52.09% to 47.91%. Absentee voters were also against it, 253-142.

Ironic moment: At the polls the pro-levy people were trying to encourage people to vote for the levy before they headed in to the polling station. One man ahead of us got into a shouting match with the levy supporters, claiming he supported the levy the first time around, but now that the school board announced it would have to make cuts in light of the looming deficit he was against the levy. "I don't like them taking the kids hostage," he said.

My response - huh? The school district has too little money, mandating cuts in services to the students and staff reductions, so this guy votes against giving the schools more money because the schools already don't have anough money to provide the extra services? I hope this guy is not a graduate of the local district.

Another interesting observation: the elderly poll worker demonstrating the new voting machines (with a real ballot) consistently punched the "against the levy" button during her demonstrations.

Barring a successful levy run before the start of the next school year (May election) , this means no exchange student for us next school year (interrupting our 11-student run) . We'll also be taking a harder look at our home and private schooling options. I am relieved this funding crisis is happening while our kids are in middle school/elementary rather than in high school, where the extra services are much more important. I also hope the funding crunch does not follow that of a neighboring district, which saw repeated levy failures, eventual insolvency and state intervention.