MT BLANCHARD, Ohio — Andy McBride is an assistant coach for the Riverdale School District girls' basketball team and has three kids who are students in the district.
"My son and I were talking and were like, 'one vote, really?'" he said. "Your vote really does matter."
He is referencing a 2-mill permanent improvement levy that voters rejected by one vote Tuesday, according to unofficial results. The levy would have given the district $350,000 a year to help with building maintenance, equipment and buses.
McBride graduated from the district in 1995 and said he remembers some levies not passing back then, too.
"It's troubling," McBride said. "You look at what other districts do and we should be able to do anything here that other districts can do. But for some reason, we can't get a levy passed."
Superintendent Greg Rossman said the district has tried three different types of levies in the past three years and they all failed.
"Felt like I buried my puppy or something. It was just a gut-wrenching day," Rossman said. "Obviously, this being the closest effort as we've fallen just one short."
Over the years, Rossman said the district has reduced the budget by $850,000 and made cuts, losing 12 full-time positions.
"It's been a challenging school year because we went into this year down multiple staff members, unsure how things were going to go," Rossman said.
The district is made up of three counties: Hancock, Wyandot and Hardin. Together 1,063 people voted for the levy and 1,064 people against it.
"It's just one of those things you never think you're going to go into an election and the results are going to be one-to-two vote difference, there's no way. But that's where we're at," Rossman said.
The election has not been certified yet. Hancock County Board of Elections sent WTOL 11 a statement:
"The Official Canvas which deadline is November 28 will include the provisional votes. There are approximately 21 provisional votes that could change the unofficial totals. If the difference of the totals is less than half of 1% cast for the levy, there will be an automatic recount. Since this a multi-issue county issue the Secretary of State will order it. Recounts have to happen no later than 10 days after the Secretary of State request the recount."
Rossman hopes the official results will say the levy has passed.
But McBride is a little worried.
"I don't know what the school has in mind for the future or what we do," he said. "I'm sure more cuts are coming."