Voters clearly voiced their opposition to $27 million in bonds that Community Consolidated School District 15 wanted to issue, leaving school officials unsure of how to pay for major capital improvement projects.

Interim Superintendent Scott Thompson said the district now has few options for projects in the 10-year life safety study. The school wants to spend $16 million for roof and corroded pipe replacements; heating and air conditioning system replacements; and upgrades to electrical and lighting systems.

This year’s budget calls for $1 million to fund such projects.

“That’s maybe one roof,” he said. The district will determine “what we’re gonna attack first and then create the plan.”

The district plans to ask members of the community about what the needs and goals should be, although Thompson said the projects would ultimately be set by district staff and the school board.

The district also can dip into its reserves, he said, with budgets for the next five years already showing deficits of about $5 million each year. That would bring its $55 million reserve fund down to about $30 million. The district aims to have about 30 percent of its annual budget in reserves.

Mary Vanek, a parent and attorney who led the grassroots effort to put the bond issue to voters, said the key for the district is a balanced budget and a more specific plan for spending money.

“What I really hope comes out of this is that some people were sort of awakened and became more interested in things going on with District 15 and start to pay a little more attention to it,” she said.