COVID-19 has changed our world in many ways. This very, very different time we are in has laid bare the inequities and challenges that still exist for our public schools and demonstrated an even more critical need for additional resources and support. This November 2020, voters in the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) will consider two referendum questions. If approved, the referenda would provide the critical resources needed to ensure Madison's public schools are equitable, inclusive spaces where every scholar thrives.

As alumni of MMSD and members of our Madison Public Schools Friends & Alumni Network, we hope you will join us in supporting these initiatives! Below is an overview of what you should know about the upcoming vote and how you can lend your support. 

What’s included in the referenda?

The two issues that will go to the public include support for a $317 million facilities referendum and a separate $33 million operational referendum. 

MMSD has identified a need to bring their school buildings into the 21st century with modern, safe, flexible, classrooms that support multiple learning styles. The facilities referendum would include:

• Significant renovations that would transform learning environments in MMSD’s four main high schools, while investing in basic capital maintenance.
• Moving Capital High Westside and Eastside students into a permanent home at Hoyt School.
• Building a new elementary school in the Rimrock area.

The operating referendum would provide more revenue (over the revenue caps imposed by the state), creating more stable finances and allowing MMSD to:

• Give students the education they need, including improving disparities in access to technology.
• Attract and retain high quality teachers and staff.
• Fund programs to address long-term equity issues and close the achievement gap.
• Compete with neighboring school districts.
• Stay accountable to taxpayers.

Lend your support

Members of our community are already leading the charge to support these referenda. The “Vote Yes 2 Invest” campaign, powered by Schools Make Madison Advocacy, Inc. (an affiliate of the Foundation for Madison’s Public Schools), is a coalition of community and business leaders, local families, educators and education advocates, working in support of the proposed MMSD referenda. 

As alumni and supporters of the referenda, we encourage you to take action and lend your support by:

• Encouraging your friends, neighbors, fellow alumni and colleagues to vote “yes”
• Following important pages on social media and sharing their posts:
  • Foundation for Madison’s Public Schools Facebook Page
  • Madison Metropolitan School District Facebook Page 
  • Vote Yes 2 Invest Campaign Facebook Page 
• Submitting a written testimonial in support of Madison's public schools
• Recording a video message in support of the referenda and sharing it with your social networks using the hashtag #Yes2InvestMSN
• Writing a letter to the editor or op/ed in support of the referenda
• Volunteering on the Campaign Steering Committee for the Vote Yes 2 Invest campaign
• Encouraging others to join our Madison Public Schools Friends & Alumni Network

Election day is Tuesday, November 3, 2020. This is a great chance for our entire community to rally behind our public schools and lift Madison up as a thriving, equitable, and inclusive community for generations to come.

We hope you will join us in our efforts to support a YES vote.