Chris Murphy, chairman and CEO of 1st Source Bank, came to Monday’s board meeting ready to give more than $200,000 and help raise $2 million for New Tech High. But the school board voted against the project.

"I had hoped that they would approve New Tech High," said Murphy, who didn't announce his reason for attending Monday's board meeting.

"I chose not to speak at the beginning of the meeting because I didn't want that to influence any of the board members," said Murphy.

Initially, he said, he planned to help out if the vote went in favor of the New Tech high school. Murphy says the money he planned to donate, on behalf of 1st Source bank and another foundation, would have enabled the project to get through its first phase and first year.

Murphy also said he planned to lead a community effort to raise $2 million more to fund the program going forward.

"There was general agreement among the community leadership that we needed something like this very badly," he said.

But after watching board members go back and forth on the issue, Murphy says he was unimpressed with their general level of understanding and conduct.

"After watching the school board the other night I wouldn't want any part of it," said Murphy.

Murphy says the project could work better as a charter school – an idea proposed by board member Roger Parent.

Parent distributed a memo last week that outlined a contingency plan. If the school board voted down the New Tech High School, he would go forward with a project outside the school corporation.

Parent says he's just getting started with that plan. The earliest the school could open would be 2011, he said.