This last week or so, the number one thing on my neighbor's and my mind has been the proposal to close North and East side schools. I have to say that when I first heard about the proposal to close Sherman, I was very upset. And the more I think about it, the more I believe that closing any neighborhood school is the wrong thing to do.

Our neighborhood schools are important to us - they’re part of our community, they help shape the character of our neighborhoods. Beyond their primary mission of educating our children, they provide a community gathering place, something to bring us together.

Closing our neighborhood schools will mean that more kids have to take the bus instead of walking to school, taking more time out of their day and exposing them to more harmful diesel exhaust. It will make it that much harder for parents to be involved in their children’s schools. And yes, it will impact our property values. I know it's easy to criticize and hard to find money in the school budget, but it's hard not to feel like the North and East sides of Madison are bearing the brunt of these cuts, especially when we just supported a referendum to build a new school in another part of town. Everyone I talk to about this is incredibly frustrated with the idea of closing any schools, especially ours. So what can we do?

First, it's clear that the school funding system is broken at the state level. I encourage you to join me in calling upon Governor Doyle and our state legislators to fix this broken system that every year forces school boards around the state to cut budgets. The School Board is hosting a special meeting to talk about state funding and how to effectively communicate with legislators Thursday March 29th at 6:30 pm in the Auditorium of the Doyle Administration Building.

Governor Doyle can be contacted at 608-266-1212 or http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/contact.asp?locid=19 .
If you live on the North or East side, chances are your legislators are two of the following. To find out for sure, see http://waml.legis.state.wi.us/.

Sen. Erpenbach - (608) 266-6670 Or (888) 549-0027, Sen.erpenbach@legis.wisconsin.gov
Sen. Risser - (608) 266-1627, Sen.risser@legis.wisconsin.gov
Rep. Travis - (608) 266-5340, Rep.Travis@legis.wisconsin.gov
Rep. Pocan - (608) 266-8570, Rep.Pocan@legis.wisconsin.gov

Second, the School Board needs to hear that we don't want any neighborhood schools closed. You can email them at comments@madison.k12.wi.us or find individual emails and phone numbers here: http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/boe/. You can also attend one of the following meetings:

Sun 3/25 4-6pm - Warner Park Rec Center

• Proposal to close Lindbergh and Blackhawk

Mon 3/26 Memorial High, Special BOE Meeting-Workshop, 5:00pm, Wisconsin Room

• Proposal to hold a Referendum
• Referendum to Cover the Costs of 2007-08 Proposed Budget Cuts
• Impact of 2007-08 Proposed Budget on MMSD Long Range Plan re: Options to Address Overcrowded and Under-enrolled Schools in East Attendance Area and Budget Deficits

Tues 3/27 6:30pm – Blackhawk Middle School

• Proposal to close Lindbergh and Blackhawk

Wed 3/28 Doyle Admin Bldg, Special BOE Meeting, 6:30pm, Auditorium

• Public Hearing re: Ideas A, B, C & G to Consolidate and Close Schools and Move Students

Third, join me in signing an online petition sponsored by the East Isthmus Planning Council at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/879512194.

Fourth, the city needs to work much more closely with the school district to support our schools. We need to think about the impact of land use planning and development on schools, and vice versa. We need to coordinate community service programming with the schools. And the city needs to take leadership by saying, loud and clear, that schools and the young people they serve are a top priority in our community.

Fifth, if you're not already, get involved in your neighborhood school. They'd love to have your help.