HENRIETTA, N.Y. — Voters in the Rush-Henrietta School District Tuesday rejected the proposed 2024-25 school district budget, which fell short by just 15 votes in a margin of 734 to 719 — the only spending plan that was voted down in this area.

News10NBC’s Marsha Augustin spent the evening talking with people in the district and says a number of people are surprised by the budget being voted down.

“I think in my 24 years here in the community, that was one of the first times that has happened,” said Rhonda Boas-Blue, who has lived in the community for years. Her son is a 2020 graduate of the high school.

Boas-Blue said her main concern was the $10 million increase in the budget compared to last year.

“I understand there were some administrative changes and costs there. I live very close to the high school so I see there are some improvements with the athletic field and that type of thing, so to me it felt normal everything is going up, but it did seem like a big increase,” she said.

Another concern for Boas-Blue was the proposed increase in salary for administration. “This idea that administration needed such a huge bump. If anything that’s probably what perhaps riled people,” she said.

A school district spokesperson says an official decision has not been made as to the district’s next move but they expect one in the next day or two. The Board of Education could adopt a contingency budget, or a second vote could happen in June with the same proposal or an adjusted one.