LEBANON — The fate of a long-sought $20.4 million renovation project for three of Lebanon’s school buildings is now up in the air.

Members of the Lebanon School Board expressed frustration Wednesday with the March vote that killed a 20-year bond needed for upgrades at the Mount Lebanon, Hanover Street and Lebanon High schools.

Some board members contemplated whether some improvements to school entryways and instructional spaces could be tackled using surplus funds.

Others argued the district should save over the next few years to complete the projects in a piecemeal fashion, or request less from voters.

Though no one explicitly brought up the economic slowdown and fiscal concerns that have arisen from the COVID-19 pandemic, School Board members did appear wary of asking too much of taxpayers.

“As much as I don’t want to split things up, and I think that can cause a lot of stress on the community and divide the town, I think that might be something we want to consider,” board member Tom Harkins said during Wednesday night’s School Board meeting.

“If we don’t do anything then all of this stuff just stays on this list forever,” he added. “Something needs to be done somewhere.”

While there is uncertainty over how to proceed, several School Board members appeared to have little appetite to bring the full “modernization” project before voters next year.

City residents have three times defeated the school district’s multimillion-dollar proposal, which at times has included new cafeterias, kitchens, classrooms and multipurpose spaces.

In March, residents voted 1,229-932, to OK construction. But that 56.9% support failed to pass the 60% needed to approve a long-term bond. They voted, 893-713, last year to spend $20 million on similar projects, garnering 55.6% support.

And a $29 million proposal that included the construction of a new auditorium at the high school was killed in a, 820-768, vote in 2018.

The failure to fund what many school officials, students and parents deem necessary projects has resulted in head-scratching at the School Board level. The board has tried sending out mailers, holding public forums and writing letters, all to little avail.

“I just feel like we’re doing the same thing and it’s not working and something’s got to give,” Harkins said.

But board member Kristin O’Rourke said other school building projects have taken several votes to complete.

“We shouldn’t give up heart that there’s a lot of families in this town who have depended on these renovations, and voted for it and campaigned for it heavily,” she said. “Even if we have to postpone a year, I wouldn’t give up.”

Any future changes to the renovation plans would entail explaining the decision to voters, said School Board Chairwoman Wendy Hall.

That’s because construction costs go up yearly and breaking a large project into smaller pieces will drive up the price, she said.

“But for people who have been paying attention, we’ve made that very clear and it doesn’t have a big impact,” Harkins replied.

Meanwhile, board member Aaron Mills called for the board to “be creative” in its planning.

“I think there’s definitely things in here that are going to need bonds, there’s definitely things in here that we can save for, and there’s smaller things,” he said. “It’s just a matter of breaking them up appropriately.”

The board decided to continue thinking of next steps over the summer and will work with administrators to brainstorm possible fundraising options and how, if possible, projects could be taken up separately. The School Board next meets in August.

Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.