The day after voters rejected a plea for more funding from Northwest Allen County Schools, district parent Amber Toole had to face the teachers and tell them she was sorry.

There were plenty of tears that day, said Toole, who had volunteered her time to the referendum's political action committee, Partners In Excellence for NACS. Ultimately, her work wasn't enough to convince voters that the school truly needed the estimated $12 million it requested from taxpayers, an amount that would cover anticipated funding losses from Senate Enrolled Act 1 and make teacher and staff pay more competitive. The referendum failed by nearly 600 votes .

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