Sussex-Wantage bond rejected

SUSSEX COUNTY-A concerted campaign to pass a bond issue to expand the middle school and replace roofs, windows, and boilers on the district's two elementary schools came to naught Tuesday. Voters handed the $20-million spending plan a resounding defeat, with 69 percent of the 2,671 who cast ballots voting "no." The final tally was 1,631 "no" votes and 1,040 "yes" votes. "We are disappointed," said a district spokesperson Wednesday morning. Had the issue been approved, the district would have been eligible for $7 million in state aid, reducing the cost to taxpayers to $13 million. The money was to be spent to build a new gym and expand the cafeteria and auditorium in the middle school, which, officials say, is severely overcrowded. A grassroots taxpayers organization formed to fight the proposal, saying the district allowed problems that should have been fixed to multiply.