Letter to the Editor: Support for the Mahomet-Seymour School Board Referendum
Editor’s Note: All letters to the editor are fact-checked before publication. While Phase I does show additional capacity at all grade levels, the question on the referendum only requires the district to build a new junior high and a bus barn, then make upgrades as possible with the $97.9 million.
When you walk into the voting booth in a couple of weeks, you will be asked a Yes or No question about the Mahomet-Seymour Community Schools. A Yes vote supports our most valuable community asset, our schools. A Yes vote will also advance Phase 1 of the masterplan which builds a new Junior High, replaces the transportation facility and adds capacity at all grade levels across the District.
I support the proposed $97.9M referendum for one simple reason. I view it as an investment. An investment that I am happy to pay it forward since seeing both of my boys graduate from Mahomet-Seymour.
For the past year, a group of volunteers guided the community through a variety of engagements (Bulldog Blueprint) that analyzed physical and functional conditions of our current school buildings, identified best practices in curriculum/instruction, reviewed capacity data and enrollment trends and ultimately developed a phased approach that satisfies our growing District through 2040.
It should not be a surprise that a new Junior High is front and center in the plan, representing almost 60% of the proposed referendum. In fact, replacing the aging Junior High facility has been a topic of discussion well before Bulldog Blueprint. It also should not be surprising that our District needs to add capacity at all grade levels given the growth we have seen in Mahomet. This issue was Bulldog Blueprint’s top priority and represents approximately 90% of the plan’s cost. What is surprising is how long the District managed to survive and continue to provide educational excellence without coming to voters asking for more money.
Nobody wants to pay more taxes, especially in the times we are living in now. However, paying more taxes to support our community schools is an investment I am willing to make. The proposed plan is responsible, it is conservative, and it is affordable. Join me in voting YES on June 28th and voting to support Mahomet Seymour Community Schools.
Sean Widener
