Local citizens, parents, and community members within the St. Michael-Albertville school district announced today the formation of the Vote Yes for STMA committee, a grassroots campaign, to encourage residents to support the February 7 bond referendum. The launch includes the formation of a website (www.voteyesforstma.org) and a Facebook page to educate the community about the needs within the school district and provide opportunities for residents to volunteer in support of the campaign.
“We formed this committee so we can get facts out to community members regarding the importance of supporting the bond referendum scheduled for February 7,” said retiring St. Michael City Councilman Chris Schumm. “We are encouraging community members to vote ‘Yes’ so that we have the classroom and activity space needed for our growing population and the proper safety improvements for our school entrances.”
“The enrollment in our school district has grown 62 percent over the past 11 years. By planning now for immediate needs of our growth, we can make sure our kids have the class and facility space necessary for their education and after-school programs,” said St. Michael resident Chris Hansen, chair of the Vote Yes for STMA committee. “Kids who are currently enrolled in elementary schools may not have a classroom when they get to high school. By voting ‘Yes’ on the referendum, we can continue to provide our students the education they deserve and avoid having to rent trailers to substitute as classrooms.”
Vote Yes for STMA said the bond referendum is a result of the work done by a citizen task force that studied the needs for students and families in the rapidly growing St. Michael-Albertville school district. The STMA school board unanimously passed the recommendation by the task force to hold a bond referendum to address the immediate needs of safety, technology, basic maintenance of buildings and improvements to facilities, and classroom space based on the significant population growth in the community.
More information on the group can be found here, via a Facebook page.