For the three local school districts now dealing with defeated budget proposals after last week's elections, there's some compelling recent history to suggest the best way to react.

In 2004, when Cato-Meridian Central School District voters rejected a budget proposal, that board decided to present the same budget to voters again. The result? Voters again rejected the budget, and this time turnout increased by 65 percent.

A year later, the Southern Cayuga Central School District faced the same situation, and its board came up with enough spending cuts to chop about a percentage point off the tax levy. Voters approved the new version, and turnout was actually down.

The point of that history is simple. When the people speak in the voting booth by rejecting a budget, it's up to school boards to listen.

Failure to do so only puts the district in more jeopardy. When Cato-Meridian's second budget proposal was defeated, the result was a painful contingency budget that resulted in cut programs and lawsuits.

We're extremely disappointed that the Auburn Enlarged City School District decided to do nothing with the budget that voters rejected. This newspaper endorsed the budget proposal, but once the voters have their say, the decision must be respected. Claiming the budget failed because people were confused smacks of arrogance - or ignorance.

The Auburn board just doesn't seem to understand the fundamental reason people reject budgets - they feel they can't afford it. The local economy is struggling and costs everywhere are going up.

Southern Cayuga board members, who have a history of dealing with close budgets, know how it works. They've pledged to make budget changes. The Jordan-Elbridge school district will likely decide a course of action this week. We urge that board to follow Southern Cayuga's lead. And we also implore Auburn's board to reconsider its decision.