BEAVERCREEK — Beavercreek voters failed an emergency levy Nov. 6 that would have generated approximately $11.4 million annually to maintain current services at Beavercreek City Schools.

“Tonight’s result is certainly disappointing for our school district and our community. I am grateful to all our residents who voted and it is encouraging that the margin of defeat was so small. We will continue to do what we do best — educate the children of this outstanding community,” BCS Superintendent Paul Otten said in a statement. “As a result of this defeat, we will now have to make difficult decisions on how to best reduce costs and provide students and our community with the education and services they have come to expect.”

According to unofficial final election results, more than 50 percent of voters said no, while more than 49 percent said yes.

“No matter how you cut it, it went down in defeat,” BCS Public Relations Specialist Ryan Gilding said. “It’s disappointing … We have to make difficult decisions — how to reduce costs while providing services and education that Beavercreek expects.”

The levy would have costed $217 per year or $18.09 per month per estimated $100,000 home valuation and would have gone into effect beginning in the 2019-2020 school year.

“Moving forward — whether this goes back on ballot in spring, what amount, those details — that’s a call our board of education will be having in the next several months,” Gilding said.

The Beavercreek City School District includes approximately 8,000 students who attend one of its 11 school facilities. There are six elementary schools, two middle schools, a freshman-only institute, a preschool center and one high school. Otten said Beavercreek schools are on the “cap funding model,” which means that while the City of Beavercreek and its local school district have expanded in recent years, the schools are not receiving additional funding.

The district now faces the possibility of cutting programs beginning in the 2019-2020 school year. District officials have not talked in-depth regarding where exactly the cuts would be made, but Otten said previously considerations have been made concerning transportation, elective course offerings at the middle and high schools as well as fees to play and participate in athletics and clubs.

“Moving forward, we will try to do things that are best for kids — try to minimize cuts, reduce costs — it’ll try to be without impacting kids too much but those are decisions our board of education and district leadership team will have to talk about,” Gilding added.

Otten highlighted in a previous interview that the the district’s biggest priority is maintaining a solid classroom environment.

“I do wanna thank Beavercreek,” Gilding said. “The turnout today was strong, our supporters, there were a lot, and our levy committee was there every step of way. We told a good story and educated the community — that’s why you saw so many people at the polls tonight.”