Election Day was a disappointment to backers of a plan to change the Constitution to allow the legislature to authorize participation in transportation and food services for children of school age including children attending parochial and private schools.
The proposed amendment would have affected Catholic school children in the diocese.
Voters rejected the proposed change to the constitution by a 53% to 47% cent margin.
More than 173,000 voters supported the amendment but it was not enough.
As a result, lawmakers, private school administrators and parents are unsure what lies ahead.
Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly last session (98 out of 105 legislators supported the issue) to place the amendment before voters.
The amendment would have allowed cooperation to continue between the public school sector and the Christian, parochial school sectors.
In some areas, parochial and Christian school students are allowed to ride on public school busses to and from school. Some fear those arrangements could be in danger now.
An insurance flap more than a year ago put that in jeopardy ultimately leading to the Election Day amendment vote.