There are plenty of theories floating around about why voters in three of the nine local school districts defeated budget proposals Tuesday, but whatever the reasons, the results should serve as a wake-up call to any government entity charged with overseeing public spending.

Area school budgets this year came with relatively moderate spending increases #- from Union Springs' 2.9 percent to Cato-Meridian's 6.3 percent. Not surprisingly, voters in Union Springs overwhelmingly supported their budget, while Cato-Meridian's passed by only 57 votes.

The state School Boards Association on Wednesday pointed to a “record infusion of state aid” as helping districts keep tax levy increases down and said that voters “resoundingly approved” more than 92 percent of school budgets statewide.

So why were there so many defeats here?

One theory is that some voters in Auburn and Jordan-Elbridge mistakenly believed they were voting on capital projects. Others say that the overall gloominess of the national, state and local economies spurred voters to “make a statement” in one of the few venues where they have a direct and immediate impact on how their money is being spent.

More telling may be Southern Cayuga, where voters rejected a budget carrying a tax levy increase of about 5.24 percent and elected to the school board a candidate who ran on a platform of fiscal conservatism and has been outspoken on what he calls “wanton” government spending.

We hear from taxpayers time and again that they're frustrated with what they see as “piling on.” Local school budget defeats may be an indicator that the cumulative effect of small increases in taxes and fees #- combined with higher costs of fuel, groceries and other essentials #- has pushed taxpayers to the brink.

School boards, federal lawmakers and every government agency in between had better be paying attention, because their decisions have a great impact on the average taxpayer. And the average taxpayer, it's pretty clear, has had enough.