CANFIELD — The city’s Board of Education plans to regroup next week to determine its next steps now that a bond issue for a new middle school failed for a third time on Tuesday.

The 3.7-mill levy failed by a margin of 55% to 45%, according to unofficial results from the Mahoning County Board of Elections. It would have built a new middle school, demolished the current one and provided improvements at three other district buildings.

“While we’re disappointed in the outcome, we respect our community’s decision,” Canfield Local Schools District Superintendent Joe Knoll said. “The needs of our facilities remain a priority for our district, and we will continue to explore solutions that align with our community’s expectations and financial responsibilities.”

The bond would have generated $64.19 million to construct a new Canfield Village Middle School and complete renovations at Canfield High School, C.H. Campbell and Hilltop Elementary Schools.

“As much as we were very optimistic this go around, we are disappointed that the outcome was not what we expected or desired as a school board,” board President Nader Atway said. “We cannot thank enough the Committee to Support Canfield Schools, headed by Rachel Muser, for all that they did to bring advocacy and education to the community on the plan we had presented.”

As the board prepares to discuss the next move, they also will have to consider some of the repairs and renovations that are still on the plate.

“CVMS faces substantial challenges in meeting the demands of a modern educational environment. Infrastructure such as HVAC systems, lighting and space utilization fall short of today’s requirements while rising maintenance costs make a complete replacement more financially viable in the long run,” Knoll said in a news release on Wednesday. “Similarly, renovations across the district’s other schools are necessary to address infrastructure needs and support effective and inclusive learning spaces.”

Some needs were completed over the summer, including secure vestibules at C.H. Campbell and Hilltop elementary buildings. Air conditioning was added to C.H. Campbell and the high school saw repairs and improvements to the roof and parking lot. These improvements were handled with roughly $2 million from a reallocation of operating and permanent improvement funds. These projects were not included in the bond levy amount.

“As for next steps, we will have to come back together as a board and evaluate our options going forward,” Atway said. “Our next meeting will be Nov. 13 and we will have preliminary discussions on the next steps at that time.”

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the Canfield High School auditorium. Anyone wishing to speak at that meeting needs to sign up at the table near the auditorium entrance.