Reaction to the vote against an $11.1 million construction was mixed Wednesday in the Lyle school district.

Residents voted down a proposal to reconstruct most of the current school building with a 25-year bond and state aid. Of the 632 people that voted, 356 voted no and 276 voted yes.

Lyle 10th-grader Mike Aanonson said he thinks the school needs new construction because the classrooms are too small.

"Some of the classrooms are getting crowded," he said.

Fellow 10th-graders Lindsay Halbach and Angie Carroll also said classroom sizes are a problem.

"It's crowded. We're getting a lot more new students so we have to have bigger classrooms," Carroll said.

Halbach, who plays volleyball, softball and basketball for Lyle, said another gym also would have been beneficial.

The new construction would have added a new gym, brought classroom sizes up to current state code, added an up-to-date media room and science rooms for the middle schoolers, among other changes.

In the past three years, enrollment has increased 37 students in Lyle, with many parents from other towns choosing to send their children to Lyle. This year 19 new students enrolled in Lyle, bringing the student population to 263, which is lower than last year's 277.

Space is also a concern for teachers, such as art teacher Karla Wehner. Art supplies, along with desks and chairs, crowd the amount of room and storage space she has available.

"I was disappointed. I was looking forward to a large room with places to store things," Wehner said.

Dave Dalquist, a former English teacher who now works with graduation standards and staff development, also said he was disappointed.

"Lyle has always stood up for kids before," Dalquist said.

Fifth-grade teacher Mark Buntje said the decision is a "slap in the face to the kids. It shows that they don't put the kids first here."

Lyle student Brad Klouse said because he is a senior, the decision Tuesday did not matter to him. He has a younger sister in eighth grade and said the new school would be good for younger grades. But he added Lyle students also could go to Austin or Southland schools if Lyle had to close in the near future.

Some students said they have heard the school would close in two years. While administrators said closing is a possibility, it probably would not happen that soon.

"I don't think it's the next step to be looked at," said Principal Royce Helmbrecht.

Richard Nagel, of rural Rose Creek, said he was happy with the voters' decision.

"Taxes would hit me terribly hard," Nagel said. He had thought the bond would have lasted 30 years, not 25, and estimated the total cost for himself being $105,000. He said that figure did not include interest.

Lori Read, of rural Lyle, said she is happy with the outcome of Tuesday's election, but said another plan could be considered.

"I think we need to look at building options," Read said.

Alternative materials and analyzing the cost of new materials are some suggestions she has for future construction.

The Lyle School Board meets 7 p.m. Nov. 18 for its regularly scheduled meeting. Superintendent Jerry Reshetar said the board members may discuss steps they want to take after Tuesday's "no" vote.

Cari Quam can be reached at 434-2235 or by e-mail at cari.quam@austindailyherald.com