$34.28 Million Madison Schools Referendum Results, Schools Chief Issues Statement: UPDATE

UPDATE: The Madison schools referendum failed by an almost two to one margin on Tuesday. The results of the Ryerson Elementary School Referendum held on 9/26/17: Yes: 1452, No: 2722.

It's unclear what is next for the school system as it seeks to make changes due to declining enrollment.

The school board reviewed as many as 12 different models and unanimously agreed on building a new Ryerson School and renovating Jeffrey School.

Tuesday’s referendum (Ryerson School) was for $34.284 million. The state reimbursement would have been between $4 million and $5.7 million.

Superintendent of Schools Tom Scarice issued the following statement after the results came in.

"I want to give the entire parent community an update on the referendum results. The referendum failed by a considerable margin, unofficially 65% against, 35% in favor. It should come as no surprise to anyone that I interpret this result as an unfortunate setback for the many reasons I've covered over the past few weeks.

That said, this decision takes nothing away from the great work that we do in our schools, which, in my judgment, is the very best work in the state, work that we will continue to do to the very best of our ability. I cannot state that conviction any more emphatically.

Unfortunately, there are inevitable consequences from community decisions, and this was a decision that needed to be made by the entire community. This will be a transition time and I believe that the entire community is counting on us to move forward with the will of the voters. I am confident we will do that with full fidelity.

And I am confident that we will do that while providing our students with the best possible educational experience. This was a divisive process. Now is the time to move forward. Now is the time to mend any divisions caused by this process and this decision.

Clearly, the entire community will be counting on us to do this. I am honored to commit myself to leading the schools through this process. I learned a great deal over the past month or so. I connected with more parents over the past month than at any other time in my 5+ years as superintendent.

As I told the entire faculty earlier in an email, perhaps most memorable are the comments from parents in which they shared their stories of how their children have been impacted by our work, and how life-changing it can be for their children. This gives all educators purpose and fulfillment beyond measure.There will be more information and planning forthcoming. I will do my best to keep the entire parent community updated along the way."

By Jack Kramer, Correspondent

MADISON, CT – The future course of Madison public schools will be decided at the polls on Tuesday. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. A three-year project dealing with both the town’s declining school enrollment and its aging school buildings is what is being voted on.

Way back in the fall of 2014 the Board of Education began a comprehensive facilities study to develop a long-term facilities plan and to address three complex problems: declining enrollment, old buildings, future learning.

The school board conducted a two and a half year study including 6 public forums, numerous publicly notified meetings, in addition to three joint public meetings of the school board, and Boards of Selectmen and Finance.

The school board reviewed as many as 12 different models and unanimously agreed on building a new Ryerson School and renovating Jeffrey School.

Tuesday’s referendum (Ryerson School) is for $34.284 million. The state reimbursement would be between $4 million and $5.7 million.

The second referendum (Jeffrey School) is slated for spring 2019, for approximately $33.7 million.

While school officials are adamant in their support for the project the proposal is facing opposition on a couple of fronts: residents who are upset about the overall cost of the project; and, from people who don’t want to see schools in their neighborhoods closed.

Voters in District 1 will vote at the Madison Senior Center; in District 2 votes will be cast at the Brown Middle School.