The Coos Bay School District is going back to the drawing board after its $60 million bond measure received a stiff rebuke from voters.

With 97 percent of the ballots counted by early this morning, the no votes nearly doubled the yes votes, 7,372 to 3,862.

School board Chairwoman Kathy Murray said she had a bad feeling about the measure’s prospects when the economy soured.

“I understand the difficult times and putting a bond up in this climate, it’s hard for a lot of people,” she said. “The timing has been unfortunate.”

She said the board and the Schools for the Future Committee, which recommended the $60 million bond measure, would meet in the next week to discuss the district’s alternatives.

“There is definitely a consensus that the need is still there and it’s not going to go away,” she said.

Bob Huggins, who served as the committee co-chairman, said he had been girding himself for a landslide against the measure.

“The financial crisis certainly didn’t help, and with that, I suspected the chances of it passing were not very good,” he said.

He left it to the school board to decide what should happen next, though he agreed something needs to be done about any future bond measures.

“The size and length of it. That’s probably what we need to rethink,” he said.

Superintendent Bob De La Vergne said the bond measure’s defeat won’t affect the district’s focus on education.

“We will continue to improve student learning. That’s what we do,” he said.

“We’re going to continue to do good work.”

The district still has money in its capital fund, he said, though it will be used sparingly.

“We can’t put roofs on our buildings, and there are some pretty bad leaks out at Sunset (Middle School), but we will continue to make repairs as needed,” he said.

Murray said the board knew it was asking for a lot when it put the bond issue on the ballot earlier this year. Board members relied partially on a phone survey that suggested voters would support a $36.6 million bond measure, but not a $75 million one. The board eventually decided on the $59.95 million amount. It wanted to build two new elementary schools and make repairs at other district buildings.

The board decided to stick with that amount despite the worsening economy.

“To turn around didn’t seem like the thing to do,” she said.

Murray was a little disappointed the results were so much against the measure, though she said it would be important to talk with voters to find out an acceptable amount.

“At some point we hope that we can find some common ground that they will support,” she said.

The issue will be discussed at the board’s meeting Monday, De La Vergne said.

“This is an opportunity to learn what the community wants from us,” he said. “We’ll just go back and come up with a better plan.”