WHA SCHOOL OFFICIALS CONSIDER WHAT NEXT

Walker-Hackensack-Akeley School District officials are thinking about what to do now, beyond cutting the $10-Million budget. WHA's levy referendum lost by 18 votes on Tuesday. Superintendent Wallace Schoeb said the election lost by less than 1% and said he wants to get a legal opinion first. Schoeb said he will make the first of the cuts, $650,000 and then ask voters in another referendum "we made our first round of cuts. How much do you want us to cut the second time or are you willing to support us?" Schoeb said he would rather wait until later next spring to run another referendum because he needs a breath of fresh air. But part of the effort seemed to please him. Schoeb said "apparently what we did worked, but it didn't work good enough." WHA's enrollment is now just over 900 students. Officials expect it to drop to 750 by 2012.