• Tuesday June 2nd, 2009 at the Willson School Gym from 12:00 – 8:00
• Absentee ballots may be cast between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm prior June 1st. Voting hours on June 1st are 8:00 am to 12:00 noon. Absentee ballots are cast at the Business Service Office in the Willson School.
• Absentee Ballot applications may be obtained from the Business Service Office in the Willson. Telephone number is 522-6042 and email is lori..ross@bsd7.org
• For voters on the permanent absentee voter list, ballots were mailed on Wednesday May 13th. These absentee ballots must be returned by 8:00 PM on June 2nd.

Who can vote ?

• Any registered voter that lives in the Bozeman Elementary School District. That means anywhere that the kids could or do attend schools in the Bozeman Elementary School District. Those schools are Hawthorne, Irving, Longfellow, Whittier, Emily Dickenson and Morning Star.
• If someone is unsure whether they live in the Bozeman Elementary School District, they can call the School District’s Business Service Office.

Why Vote For the Levies:

• The Bozeman School District is facing a $ 1.9 million shortfall (needs projected vs. state funds allocated) for the 2009-2010 school year due to inadequate State Funding for K-12. This shortfall is a result of the State Legislature increasing K-12 statewide base budgets by only 1.32% (including Federal Stimulus Funds).

• To balance that shortfall $ 700,000 in cuts  in cuts have already been authorized  ($ 545,000 to the High School Budget and $ 154,000 in cuts to the elementary school budget) and $ 600,000 of stimulus funds have been projected to be used.  But another $ 670,000 in Elementary School District levies is necessary to balance the remainder of the shortfall and to avoid further cuts to the Elementary and Middle Schools.
• These levies are compose of a General Fund Levy for $ 170,000 and a Transitional District levy for $ 500,000. Because of the retirement of debt on Morning Star and Emily Dickenson, and the 1990 High School renovations, as well as Hyalite Elementary coming in under budget, the requested tax dollars for these levies  will be offset and you will actually see a DECREASE in your school taxes for the next school year. See http://www.bsd7.org/2009election for more information on this decrease in taxes.
• If these 2 levies do not pass, an additional $ 670,000 will need to be cut from the Elementary School Budget (Middle School and Elementary School).  Possible cuts as outlined in a draft budget include but are not limited to the elimination of 5th grade band and orchestra, the elimination of non-required reading and math specialists, making all sports self-supporting and the mothballing of Hyalite Elementary or the closure of a small school and filing Hyalite to capacity. Please note that none of these items by themselves will make up the $ 670,000 shortfall. It will take a combination of these items to do so.  While these listed possibilities may or may not directly affect your child, they will indirectly affect every child in the Elementary School District. (Middle School and Elementary School).

      WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP GET THE LEVIES PASSED:

• Inform yourself on the issue by checking out the Bozeman School District Website and reading the talking points. Call or email me with questions.
• Do not assume the levies will pass ( General Fund Levy passed by a slim margin last year) and levies failed in nearby school districts this month.
• Vote either in person or by absentee
• Make sure that everyone you know understands the importance of this issue and votes especially those you know you do not have kids in the schools but are eligible to vote.

    What You Can Do Going Forward to Help With K-12 Education:

• Make sure that you know where your candidates for State Representatives and Senators in 2011 vote on K-12 funding and what they have done towards achieving “quality education” for all.