Madison, Wis. – On Monday, the Strong Schools, Strong Community campaign hosted a press conference highlighting the broad support in the community for the Madison Metropolitan School District’s (MMSD) operations and facilities referenda that will appear on the ballot November 5. Featured speakers included executive director of Schools Make Madison Inc. Melinda Heinritz, Superintendent Dr. Joe Gothard, State Representative & campaign co-chair Francesca Hong, Park Bank Vice President & campaign co-chair Jeff Mack, campaign co-chair Wyatt Milewski, and Madison Teachers Inc. President Mike Jones.
“As a community and as a city we are at an important crossroads. On one hand we’re a boom town, 115,00+ residents expected here in the next 20 to 25 years, and yet right now we know many are struggling to recover from the pandemic, and families are grappling to tend with increased costs. To those community members we say we see you, and we hear you, but we can’t wait. We must meet this critical moment. (…) The choices we make now will have profound impacts on our city for years to come, so let’s be bold, let’s vote yes to our cities future.”
-Melinda Heinritz, Executive Director of Schools Make Madison Advocates, Inc.
“The facilities question is a $507 million dollar question (…) there are 23 buildings in our district that are 60 years or older. The aging infrastructure is at a point in time where we can no longer take out a wrench and a toolbox to fix it. It needs replacement. (…) They need to be a comfortable place for students to learn and teachers to teach.”
-Dr. Joe Gothard, Superintendent of the Madison Metropolitan School District
“I’m encouraging everyone to say yes to invest – to know that when we invest in our public schools, we’re also investing in housing, we’re also going to be able to invest in childcare, we’re going to be able to make sure that working families have more access to be able to thrive and play better and live better here in our city.”
-Representative Francesca Hong, Wisconsin State Assembly District 76 & Campaign Co-Chair
“I met my wife, my best friends, and my favorite teachers here at MMSD. I value it so much that when the time came to determine where my 4 daughters were going to attend school, my wife and I made a clear and easy choice. They were going to public schools because of the great experience that we enjoyed during our time in the school district.“
-Jeff Mack, 1st Vice President – Business Development, the Park Bank & Campaign Co-Chair
“The classrooms were designed for a different way of teaching than teachers use now. You can hear everything that’s happening because of the thin moveable walls. (…) The 2024 facilities referendum could fix all these problems and more at Sennett and a bunch more MMSD schools. Even though I won’t be there by the time these renovations happen, I know the new and improved Sennet middle school will benefit all the little kids at the surrounding elementary schools.”
-Wyatt Milewski, Sennett Middle School Student & Campaign Co-Chair
“As a former dean of students, behavior responder, and special education teacher, I know directly that mental health is key to academic success. If passed, the operations referenda will go directly towards supporting urgent efforts to attract and retain highly qualified educational staff that will serve our students”
-Mike Jones, President Madison Teachers, Inc.
MMSD has 23 buildings that are 60 years or older whose infrastructure does not reflect contemporary standards for education and learning. Classrooms and schools designed decades ago were smaller and didn’t account for the resources 21st century schools offer now like behavioral health intervention specialists, school counselors, or food pantries. The facilities referenda will be a direct investment into addressing these standards and fixing critical safety concerns for 10 schools. The operations referenda question will go towards hiring more teachers and professionals to ensure these modern schools are equipped with appropriate staff.
Strong Schools, Strong Community is a coalition of Madison leaders, families, and educators powered by Schools Make Madison Advocates, Inc., an affiliate of the Madison Public Schools Foundation.
Learn more about the Strong Schools, Strong Community campaign here, and stay connected on X , Instagram, and Facebook.
The Strong Schools Strong Community campaign is powered by Schools Make Madison Advocates, Inc. (Tax ID 84-4623570), an affiliate of the Madison Public Schools Foundation, Inc.
