Nearly 61% of the voters who cast ballots on the issue Tuesday rejected the 4.9 mill levy by 816 to 1,254 votes.

In February the board of education passed a resolution eliminating three teacher contracts for next school year if the levy failed.

One would come from music department, another from the science department and another from the STEM program.

In a statement issued following the defeat of the levy Dunham said, “We worked very hard not only as a school community, but also as a force of volunteers throughout the district to responsibly present our case to the voters of our community. The consequences of the community's decision will be difficult to manage, but we will make the necessary changes to keep the needs of student and their academic achievement at the forefront."

Before the election Dunham said the district would be operating at over a half million dollars in the red by 2017 without passage of the levy.