What happens if the referendum does not pass?
The district and the families it serves will feel the effects of increased strains. A growing neighborhood will continue to lack the benefits of a nearby school. In the near future the district will be forced to undertake the difficult process of radically adjusting school assignments resulting in hundreds of elementary school students being reassigned and existing ties between neighborhoods and schools being altered. More students will be taking longer bus rides. The district estimates that increased transportation costs will be $90,000 a year. There is no way to calculate the other costs of the disruptions that children and families will experience. The Board has adopted a plan to deal with enrollment growth if the referendum to build a new school should fail (view it on the website, www.mmsd.org click on 2006 Referendum) begins with boundary changes and after a few years, substantial programmatic changes such as reduction or elimination of SAGE (small class sizes), cafeteria space a
