Area voters approved referendums to pump more money into the Deerfield and Weston school districts Tuesday but voted against exceeding state revenue limits in Mineral Point.

All three districts framed their requests in terms of keeping up with basic expenses and instructional needs, rather than anything flashy.

But voters soundly defeated the request from the Mineral Point School District to exceed limits for the next five years.

If it had been approved, the district would have used the money to maintain staffing levels, class offerings and extracurricular programs, Superintendent Terry Hemann said. Now, everything is up for cuts.

"It is very disappointing," Hemann said. "It's going to have a negative impact on kids and learning, the decisions we're going to have to make."

The reaction was exactly the opposite in Deerfield, where voters strongly supported that district's request to exceed the limits for five years to address budget shortfalls with instructional facilities, technology and daily operational needs.

"We are absolutely thrilled and relieved," Superintendent Michelle Jensen said. "This community is very, very proud of our schools and always has been very supportive."

In the Weston School District, where the vote to approve a referendum to exceed revenue limits for three years was considerably closer, Superintendent Tom Andres noted that a win was still a win.

"We can have some security now and know we're going to be solid for three years," he said. "We're in good shape."

SCHOOL REFERENDUM RESULTS

Deerfield School District

Exceed state revenue limits on a non-recurring basis by $275,000 for the 2008-09 school year, $325,000 for 2009-10, $375,000 for 2010-11, $425,000 for 2011-12 and $475,000 for 2012-13.

Yes 422

No 265

Mineral Point School District

Exceed state revenue limits on a non-recurring basis by $590,000 for the 2009-10 school year, $690,000 for 2010-11, $800,000 for 2011-12, $900,000 for 2012-13 and $1 million for 2013-14.

Yes 328

No 599

Weston School District

Exceed state revenue limits on a non-recurring basis by $210,000 for the 2008-09 school year; $210,000 for 2009-10; and $575,000 for 2010-11.

Yes 482

No 308