All of the Proposition 2½ measures proposed to fund various Wareham Public Schools needs were soundly defeated at the ballot on July 25.

The Proposition 2½ "override," which would have raised property taxes above the annual tax cap indefinitely, was defeated 1,678 to 712.

There were also three Proposition 2½ "debt exclusion" measures on the ballot, which would have raised property taxes for five years to fund specific projects.

The debt exclusion for repairs to the high school roof was defeated 1,401 to 979; the debt exclusion to purchase instructional materials and technology was defeated 1,553 to 827; the measure to fund a "feasibility study" for renovations to the Minot Forest Elementary School was defeated 1,666 to 712.

Voter turnout was 16%, according to Town Clerk Mary Ann Silva.

The news that all of the measures failed left many school officials too disappointed for words.

"I've spoken about what this was needed for, and if we don't have it, we don't have it," said Superintendent Barry Rabinovitch after hearing the news, adding that he did not want to speak more about the vote.

Rabinovitch later added that though he could not offer further comment, he was planning a presentation on the impact of the special election results and the district's next steps for the School Committee's public hearing to be held on Wednesday, August 1, at 6:30 p.m. at the Wareham Middle School auditorium.

Suzanne Avtges and Robert Plourde, both former and current school teachers, said that they voted against the Proposition 2½ measures because they did not feel it was the correct solution to the school's budget problems.

"We're very pro-education, but we're not sure if this is the right time or place," said Plourde. "I think there are other areas in the field of education that may offer monetary help ... other than the voters."

Both Plourde and Avtges said that school officials should look to other avenues of financial support to save the town money.

But, Plourde added, "if they exhausted that and they can't do it, then they should come back to the table ... and then I'll say, 'override the sucker.'"

School Committee Chair Geoff Swett was also disappointed at the results of the special election.

Swett said that he believed the vote turned out the way it did "because of a national lack of trust of political leadership and because of the extraordinary struggle of so many families to maintain their middle-class standard of living."

But, he continued: "the failure to support the education of children has consequences, and they will potentially be felt for many years to come in Wareham."

Selectman Ellen Begley said that the vote was a sign of the economic times.

"People don't want to talk about increased taxes in this economy," Begley said. "They're not taking medication that they're supposed to take because they can't afford co-pays. I mean, there are some serious issues," she noted.

"This was not a blow against the school department," Begley added. "It was a blow against increased taxes. We need to ... come together to find a solution."

The Proposition 2½ override represented a permanent tax increase which would have cost the owner of a median-assessed home valued at $230,000 approximately $50 per year.

The money would have gone to rehire approximately 21 teachers who were laid off in June due to the uncertain budget situation. Without the override, class sizes are predicted to increase from 23 to 28 students per class.

The override would have raised $780,000 for the School Department in its first year. Funds would have gone into the town's general coffers in future years.

The estimated cost of the debt exclusion for instructional materials for the owner of a median-assessed $230,000 home was $5.54 per year. The measure would have purchased textbooks to meet new federal- and state-mandated math and English curriculum requirements.

The roof above the Wareham High School gymnasium has been leaking for years, causing sporting events to be relocated or canceled and causing students to avoid areas of the gym during classes. The estimated cost for repairing the roof for an owner of the same median-assessed home owner would have been $1.93 per year.

The feasibility study is a necessary step the district must complete in order to get state reimbursement for renovations at Minot Forest Elementary. If the study is not funded, the school is bumped off the state's waiting list, which it has been on for years.

The feasibility study would have cost the owner of a median-assessed home $4.32 per year. The project as a whole would receive 60% reimbursement from the state.

In total, all three debt exclusions would have cost the average owner of a median-assessed home $11.80 per year for five years.

Visit WarehamVillageSoup.com on Wednesday for coverage of the School Committee public hearing.