Issue 8, the $32 million levy to build a new middle school, was rejected by Avon voters Tuesday.

With 100 percent of the votes in, 3,726 (48.84 percent) voted for the levy and 3,903 (51.16 percent) voted against.

Levy supporters gathered at in the library at Avon Middle School left quickly after the results.

"It's disappointing," said acting school board president Kevin Romanchok.

Avon Middle School principal Craig Koehler said that part of his job for now remains helping figure out a way to fit more than 600 children in a school built to hold 500.

"Look at the class sizes coming up," he said. "This isn't going away."

The Avon Board of Education asked for the levy after deciding the existing Avon Middle School could not be expanded to fit a growing student population, and that renovations to bring it up to state standards for a middle school were not cost-effective.

Supporters of the levy said that building a new school made economic sense for the district, as interest rates are low and construction costs could be more competitive.

The new middle school, supporters added, could also help alleviate crowding at Heritage North and Heritage South elementary schools by possibly moving the sixth-graders there to the new middle school. Village School, the oldest school in the district, could be closed and the students moved to the single-level current middle school.

Opponents of the levy have said the district should save money by renovating the existing middle school.

The levy would have been for 1.25 mills over 32 years. It would have cost homeowners an additional $38.29 per year for every $100,000 in home valuation.

Treasurer Kent Zeman said the very soonest a new levy could go on the ballot is in March. After that, the next chance for a vote would be in June.

The school board is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the media center at Heritage North.