Amendment One appears headed for a resounding defeat, with early results showing Alabama voters trust themselves more than the governor when it comes to selecting who runs the state’s public schools.

So, it looks like business as usual tomorrow in Alabama’s schools.

“I feel really good about it,” Alabama State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey said about results on Tuesday. With three quarters of the votes in, about 76 percent of voters had rejected the proposal. It hadn’t passed in a single county.

“I think the board and I feel some confidence that the public has said, ‘Hey, we’ve got confidence in the folks that are running things,’" said Mackey. “We know there’s work to be done. Let’s do the work.”

Gov. Kay Ivey and other elected leaders pushed Amendment One, which called for an appointed state school board. They argued the current elected state school board is “broken,” and pointed to Alabama’s dead last ranking in math on the recent national report card and the five superintendents—three permanent and two interim—the board has appointed since 2016.

“Amendment One was a bold and ambitious effort to transform our state’s public schools,” said Gina Maiola, spokesperson for Ivey. “Governor Ivey was willing to step out and support this idea because she firmly believed leadership – and change – started with the Board itself. Tonight, however, it appears the fear of losing the right to elect our State School Board members was greater than the confidence we had that fundamental change could be made.”

But current Alabama state school board member Dr. Wayne Reynolds, who represents District 8, which covers portions of north Alabama, said the results are not a surprise.

“Voters across the state have expressed confidence in us,” Reynolds said, adding that voters have put the burden to improve education on the state school board.

“We are responsible for education in Alabama, and we better accept it.”

Opponents of the state amendment said people shouldn’t give up their right to vote. Social media lit up in recent days with posts from Alabamians vowing to vote “no”.

The state Amendment split the Alabama Republican Party, with Ivey, as the highest officeholder in the state, and Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, calling for an appointed board, while a large faction of the party opposed it.

Reynolds said he wants to work with state lawmakers, but hopes Ivey and Marsh get the message voters sent in rejecting Amendment One. The state board meets again March 12, where he expects Ivey will be at the board table.

Ivey needs to know, he said, “she’s not going to bully the state board, either.”

Ivey’s spokesperson said the governor will continue to work to improve education in Alabama.

“While disappointed, the governor’s resolve to improve our public education system remains intact,” said Maiola, her press secretary. “Amendment One is not where her plans for education stop, and you’ll see her continue to be more innovative and creative with her approach to improving Alabama.”

The Amendment got the backing of big political players, including the Alabama Farmers Federation, whose CEO chaired the “Yes for the Best Education” PAC, raising nearly half a million dollars for radio and television ads urging voters to approve the amendment.

Other conservatives groups, including the Alabama Eagle Forum and the Common Sense campaign opposed the amendment, saying Alabamians shouldn’t give up the right to vote.

“The defeat of Amendment One is a victory for the voters of Alabama,” said board member Jackie Zeigler, who represents District 1 in parts of south Alabama. "Montgomery Insiders spent obscene amounts of money trying to gain control of our education system. They failed.”

Local school district superintendents started speaking out last week, urging a “no” vote. Jefferson County Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin told AL.com he would vote “no” because he didn’t trust the politicians who would do the appointing and the confirming given the current political climate and their track record where Alabama schools were concerned.

What’s next is anyone’s guess. Marsh has promised a set of bills related to education. A consulting firm’s report on how the Alabama State Department of Education is organized is due the week of March 16. And lawmakers have not yet considered what could be a record education budget, the first to top spending amounts before the recession.

Mackey said the state school board is committed to getting this right. “We’re going to work harder tomorrow than we were before, and we were already working hard.”

Update on March 4: With 99.6 percent of the vote in, the amendment failed 75 percent to 25 percent. That’s 849,400 votes against and 278,279 votes for.