(The Lion) — Wichita voters have narrowly rejected a half-billion-dollar school bond intended for building construction and upgrades.

The outcome was called on Wednesday morning, with bond opponents managing a razor-thin majority. As of Tuesday evening, the vote was 13,278 in favor and 13,506 opposed.

Wichita Public Schools (WPS) would have used the $450 million bond to rebuild seven elementary and middle schools, as well as to build new early childhood and career readiness centers. The district also wants to close four elementary buildings, claiming it would be too expensive to upgrade them.

Yes for Wichita Kids, the group supporting the bond, wrote on its website:

“For decades, our schools have been the heart of this community. But as they age, they struggle to meet the needs of today’s students. Crumbling infrastructure, outdated spaces, and safety concerns demand our attention.”

It billed the bond proposal as a “smart, responsible plan” that “retires aging, underused schools and replaces them with updated, more efficient buildings.”

However, the opposing group, Vote No Bond, had a different take.

“Most of the schools throughout [WPS], their proficiency scores in math, reading, whether from elementary or high school, are in the single digits,” said Ben Davis of Vote No Bond before Tuesday’s vote.

“And this no vote, not only saying no to this bond, we’re saying no to the priorities of this district and administration to say you should start focusing on students and student outcomes and supporting our teachers, not asking for more money for buildings we do not need.”

According to U.S. News & Education, only 10% of WPS high schoolers are proficient in math, and 14% in reading.

The Vote No Bond website noted WPS has received over $700 million in bonds over the past 25 years, but has little to show for it.

“A majority of schools in the district have seen proficiency scores drop well below the state average,” its website explained. “And poor student behavior is driving teacher burnout. New buildings won’t solve these problems.”

If approved, the bonds would have lasted 20 years, maintaining the tax rate of the previous school bond, which passed in 2008.

WPS officials are still waiting for confirmation regarding the vote, since mail-in ballots may not be counted until Friday.

In a news conference Wednesday morning, Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld said school leadership is “committed to running the district in the most efficient way while serving all of our children.