SCHOOL VOTE, TUESDAY, NOV. 9

On Tuesday, November 9th Madison polling places will be opened to ask those served by Madison schools to consider three referenda. Here's a description of each question and reasons that Citizens for Investing in Madison Schools, a group of homeowners, parents and neighbors like yourself, believe these questions deserve your support.

Question 1 - Building System Replacement - Most of Madison's schools are older buildings. Inspections showed that many city school buildings need upgrades to provide adequate electrical supply, air ventilation, fire alarms, energy conservation and emergency lighting. Some schools need to replace roofs and aging furnaces. Although the schools are well maintained, they are getting older. Only one school has been built in the last 20 years, and two schools still use heating systems built around 1914. With your approval, these repairs can be made without any additional taxes.

How? Bonds used to pay off debt from past borrowing start expiring this year. If voters approve continued use of these funds, the district can dedicate $20 million over the next five years toward school maintenance projects. Just like your home, schools must be maintained to remain safe and healthy. Moreover, strong schools protect the value of your property by ensuring that your neighborhood school is a safe, well-maintained place for learning.

Question 2 - New Neighborhood Elementary School - A new school is proposed on Madison's southwest side near a developing neighborhood centered at Highway PD and Maple Grove Road. New home construction in this Cross Country Neighborhood will add approximately 600 elementary school students to Madison schools over the next few years. Current southwest schools are already full due to continued development of private homes and apartments in this sprawling area. The new school is estimated to cost $11 million, which would cost the average taxpayer about $11 a year in taxes.

Without a new school, school boundaries across many parts of the district would have to shift repeatedly to accommodate the influx of new students. An estimated 2,300 students would be shifted to new neighborhood schools and classes would grow substantially larger. School boundary changes and large class sizes are not conducive to the quality education or sense of local neighborhoods Madison strives for.

Question 3 - Operating costs for the new school - This proposal seeks $340,000 to operate the new southwest school. It would cost taxpayers about $6 a year to provide electricity, water, and staff like a principal, librarian, clerks, teachers, and custodians for the new school. The amount reflects out-of-pocket expenses as well as losses in state aid that occur because the state school aid formula penalizes the growing Madison community.

Without these monies, the district will have to cut regular classroom and other programs to fund the new school. The district has to be able to run the new school once it is built.

Please support these investments in children and the Madison community. Vote November 9th. For more information, contact Jeff Leverich of Citizens for Investing in Madison Schools at 241-3272

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