AUBURN - For the Auburn Enlarged City School District, the second time wasn't the charm as district voters overwhelmingly defeated its proposed 2008-09 school budget Tuesday.

According to unofficial results, the proposed budget of $66,490,371 with a tax levy increase of 3.28 was voted down during a re-vote by a margin of 264 - 1,877 yes to 2,141 no - with 154 affidavit ballots outstanding.

Voters defeated the same budget May 20 by just three votes, 1,414-1,411.

Superintendent J.D. Pabis voiced his frustration over the defeat, maintaining the budget allowed for smooth operations in education.

“I believe strongly that it was a fiscally sound and fiscally responsible budget, a budget that could offer a good educational program,” he said.

Huddled around an easel that posted the voter returns in the hallway of the district office, district officials and board members silently studied the returns, trying to take it all in.

Board member Michael Stearns rubbed his eyes in disbelief while colleague Ginny Kent cradled her head in her left fist.

Board President David Lansford said he was disappointed in the outcome.

While the community has spoken, he said Albany is to blame for the difficulties local districts face when trying to maintain quality education without overburdening the taxpayers.

“The schools get beat up because the state has not restructured its education financing,” he said. “It comes down to the local people and they vote no on a perfectly legitimate budget, which is the best they've seen in five years. They are fed up with taxes and the school district budget is the way they can take it out.”

District officials repeatedly called the proposed budget - marked by a 4.91 percent increase in spending over the previous year - a maintenance budget, devised to keep educational programs and faculty at current levels. The only staffing change the budget included was hiring a new custodian.

Following the budget defeat on May 20, board members opted to put the original budget for a re-vote in the hopes that, after engaging in a vigorous marketing strategy, the community would see it as fiscally responsible and educationally sound.

Moving forward, the district must now turn to its contingency budget, which is subject to state mandates. There is a mandatory cap on spending, the district cannot purchase any new equipment and employees that are unaffiliated with the district and are not part of a collective bargaining unit cannot receive salary increases.

For Auburn, the contingency budget caps spending at 3.97 percent with a $267,070 reduction in equipment purchases and $326,874 reduction in programming, which may include the custodian position, transportation and field trips, athletics and club activities, the elementary summer school, summer curriculum work and staff development.

Pabis said these cuts influence, but do not immediately affect, classroom academics.

The board will meet at 5:30 p.m. today at the Harriet Tubman Administrative Building to officiate the results of the vote. In that meeting and in the coming weeks, the board will deliberate and discuss what these reductions will look like.

“We've got to keep the integrity of education intact,” he said.

For Auburn resident Robert Lalonde, voting no on the budget was his way to voice his objections to new taxes.

“With the economic conditions the way they are today, it just seems like every year, 'let's just add $2 million or $3 million more and to hell with the taxpayer,'” he said after voting at West Middle School Tuesday.

But Craig Wright believed the tax increase was reasonable.

“I think it's a good budget,” the Auburn resident said after voting. “I think it's in line with what we can afford. I don't think it's overburdening the taxpayer this time. I guess people have to realize that, just like our gas, food, everything, is going up, it's also going up for the school district.

“Everyone blames the teachers, saying they get paid too much, but (school districts) have other expenses,” he said. “It's just a fact of life.”

Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net