The two tiered elementary proposal has vague and non-verifiable benefits. On the downside the proposal disrupts the schools by shuffling students and teachers into different buildings and different grades while costing the tax payers more money. Let's keep our neighborhood elementary schools and focus on identified weaknesses within the current structure, while preserving Marshall Public School's strengths and small town charm.

This is not a good decision for our children. It takes away from the stability that they all need, and the feeling of being in a safe and familiar environment. Our young children do not need to have the stress about having to learn a new building every couple of years. My kindergartners are constantly coming home and saying they can't wait to be a big kid because of some of the things they get to do. By separating the grades they will lose some of that drive to be a “big kid” and know how to behave.

There is abundant research outlining the negative effects of Dr. Davis's proposed reconfiguration, yet there is none showing this drastic change will have any positive effect--Dr. Davis admitted as much at the last informational meeting. There is no reason to jump into such a change. There is very good reason to take time, read the research that's out there, and look at ALL other options--including actual plans that will directly address the problems within the current structure--before considering this extreme measure. Reconfiguring our schools should be a last resort, not the first and only option considered for whatever problems arise. Let's look for a real solution!

The reason behind the reconfiguration keeps changing. What is the honest answer? It will not save money, we know that Walters building is not big enough to have the current kindergartners, first and second grade kids when they are third through fifth, so there will have to be another change, it will not bridge the learning gap however it will hide it, which is not fair to any involved. There are so many unanswered questions, as a parent it feels like this is being shoved down our throats and our input means nothing.

This doesn't seem like the best choice for our kids or the parents! How are you going to be two places at once picking up our kids. One child will have to wait, the parking and wait time to pick up one child is 10 to 15 minutes!

Dr. Davis and Members of the Board, Please hear our voices as we raise them in opposition to the unproven plan to drastically reconfigure our community's schools. This change is unwarranted, unnecessary, and unwanted. Please consider very carefully the tremendous amount of research that shows this reconfiguration will exacerbate the very problems it proposes to fix, while simultaneously creating countless new problems, namely diminished academic and social achievement, decreased sense of community and continuity, decreased student/teacher/and parent morale, increased traffic congestion for the entire town of Marshall, to name just a few. We should tackle the real problems in our schools head on rather than masking them with this costly, poorly planned, and extreme restructuring.

Please vote No!

I see no reason to change.