I’m trying to remain positive after the school merger vote but I’m having difficulty appreciating where we go next. I hope that the 2600+ people who voted against the measure are flushed with ideas after casting off the $35 million lifeline that the state was offering. All this began several years ago when folks were justly complaining about high local, state and school taxes. Then-Governor Patterson first proposed the 2% cap which finally was enacted by Gov. Cuomo. People were happy with no longer paying substantive school tax hikes but it resulted in the districts using their savings to make up the differences in operational expenses. They are approaching the point that these savings are almost exhausted. Do we return to increased school taxes or streamlining of school services? I suspect that none of us will be pleased with the necessary hard decisions that school boards will have to make. Some may feel that they have won the merger battle but we may have lost the costly war of school funding.