The lopsided vote sent a clear signal to the board and administration that it was time for a new approach.

For several years, funding issues had appeared every two years like clockwork on residents' ballots.

The Worthington News even warned in our endorsement last spring that voters were becoming weary of the pattern and it was only a matter of time until the revolt.

The election in May settled that question.

That left the board and its new superintendent, Melissa Conrath, with the tough task of deciding what sort of funding proposal to come back with in November -- if anything.

One of the key elements of the combined May issue was to raise badly needed funds for things such as building repairs, school bus replacements, and computer upgrades in classrooms. Most of the computers now being used by students were installed in 1999. If you've bought a computer recently, you know how much technology has changed in seven years.

After much study and discussion, the board decided to ask voters to approve a 1.9-mill replacement bond issue Nov. 7 that will raise $37.5 million for permanent improvements over the next 15 years.

Labeled a "no new millage" bond, it will be issued in stages only as needed. The district's intent is to keep the millage rate within the 3.8 mills that currently is being collected.

Board member Marc Schare, who has never supported a funding issue and has, for years, been one of the district's harshest critics on finances, voted for and is endorsing this issue.

In fact, he seems rather proud of the work that went into creating the strategy. As he notes, "This is not a business-as-usual levy. The need for capital equipment such as buses and computers is self-evident."

Schare said the process used to come up with the bond proposal, vs. going back to voters with an operating levy or combined issue, "represents a fundamental change in the way this district is going to do business."

If so, that's good news for property-tax-paying residents.

There has never been any question over the educational quality of the Worthington district.

It has scored an "excellent" rating in state rankings for six years in a row. Voter weariness -- if you can call it that -- has come recently as the district continued to seek more funding in the face of well-documented declining or stagnant enrollment.

Treasurer Jonathan Boyd says residents of the district currently are paying about $116 per $100,000 in home value on two bond issues totaling the 3.8 mills. One was approved in 1988 and the other in 1997.

If this issue -- Issue 14 on the ballot -- is approved, Boyd said the "no new millage" bond will actually drop that tax rate slightly.

Conrath said the district is committed to forming a large, diverse group of district residents to review the district's needs and help it set priorities for spending, before any of the bonds are sold.

The Worthington News believes this is a fresh approach that deserves voters' support.

It will improve and preserve many of the district's facilities, while allowing for much-needed upgrades in areas such as transportation and technology. Indeed, it is not business as usual.

The News urges residents to approve the Worthington school district's "no new millage" bond issue Nov. 7.