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SUNNY Temp: 53 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 21, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 17, 2002 ‘Make Room for Kids’ campaign opens By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Supporters of a $79 million Nov. 5 bond measure for Medford schools got their marching orders Monday night as the campaign to build new schools officially started. The "Make Room for Kids" campaign will hit the streets soon asking voters to support a $38 million skills center, a $38 million middle school and $3 million in improvements to the existing high schools. The bond would be paid through assessments on property taxes, amounting to $144 annually on a $150,000 house. A campaign to build new schools started three years ago, then evolved into two committees that have studied the skill center concept and the need to build a new middle school. Superintendent Steve Wisely told almost 100 faculty and school officials, who have already been promoting the bond to local residents, that the measure has to pass this November. If not, it would have to wait until the November 2004 ballot to avoid the double-majority requirement, wherein a bond passes when 50 percent of voters file a ballot, and of those, 50 percent vote for the measure. Larry Nicholson, co-chairman of the Citizens for 549c, said residents of Medford can’t do much about the funding problems in Salem, but they can get better facilities for their students. Both high schools have enrollments exceeding 2,000, the middle schools number more than 1,000 students and many of the elementary schools are at or near capacity. Wisely said, "For the first time today, we are at 13,002 students." Large schools, he said, breed problems among the students. McLoughlin Middle School Principal Craig Barabash said, "It breeds apathy and apathy leads to disconnectedness." Since 1985, the Medford school district has 4,000 more students but has built only one additional campus. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S