Local Physicians Oppose Referendum

The following letter was written and submitted by 13 physicians from Highland Park.

As physicians we have found that there is never a single solution to our patients' complex problems. Treatment decisions are reached by combining sound medical science with patients' individual goals and values. Applying these principles has led to our decision to vote NO in the upcoming referendum. We encourage undecided voters to do the same.

Remember, the vote on March 15 is to approve or disapprove the middle school campus plan. It is NOT a vote on the doomsday plan that the school board rashly passed (by a 4-3 vote) to scare young families into voting yes. Another referendum can be drafted for the fall if this one does not pass.

District 112's plan does not reflect the community's wishes. The SCFFAC II report, based upon years of community consensus, was supposed to be the foundation of the reconfiguration plan. Instead, the district chose to pursue a far more divisive plan. We disagree with the decision to close both Red Oak and Sherwood, permanently eliminating neighborhood schools west of 41. We have concerns about the social and educational implications of putting 1800 adolescents into one complex, where fifth graders will attend school with their entire high school graduating class. Furthermore, the board now admits that instead of providing financial stability for “decades," the District budget will be back in deficit a mere five years after the buildings open.

We are asked to borrow an unprecedented sum of money, change the character of our community, and create a traffic nightmare in the West Ridge area for a plan that would fail to deliver long-term financial sustainability. We feel the sacrifices being asked of our community far outweigh any benefit. It’s like asking our patients to pay out of pocket for a treatment plan that would worsen their quality of life without curing their disease. Our patients would rightfully respond “Thanks for trying, doc, but can you think of a better alternative?” The referendum represents our community’s only opportunity to ask our school board to explore other options.

As parents, we want to see our schools thrive and would support a referendum that better reflects the community's values. There are other options and there IS plenty of time to create a more sensible plan. A strong NO vote on March 15th will force the district to devise a better plan.

Romy Block, MD; Regan Christopoulos, MD; Adi Gidron, MD; Arielle Levitan, MD; Victor Levitan, MD; Athena Patrianakos-Hoobler, MD; Adam Posner, MD; Kim Rosenthal, DO; David Smiley, MD; Jeremy Smiley, MD; Brigham Temple, MD; Lisa Thompson, MD; Rajiv Udani DO