The decision of whether or not the district will move forward with the current Master Facility Plan has been left up to the voters. The referendum will appear on the March 20 primary ballot, giving community members a chance to give their input on the improvements proposed by the Board of Education to both DGS and DGN.

On Dec. 18 the Board of Education voted 6-1 in favor of having the referendum appear on the March ballot.

This plan would bring $136.6 million in changes to both DGN and DGS campuses. Due to the tax increase this would place on residents, Board of Education President Nancy Kupka felt it was important to give each voter a voice.

“There will be about a $65 tax increase for a $300,000 home. We got a lot of positive feedback, people were very supportive. Of course some people were not very supportive, that’s their right, so now we will put it out to a vote,” Kupka said.

Simone Black is the DGS student representative on the Board and has been a strong supporter of the plan. Black gives student input at each meeting, commenting on how comfortable and safe current DGS students feel.

“I approve the tax increase because it is making an investment in our community, house value increases as the quality of schools increase, and I want students to feel safe and comfortable at South in the future,” Black said.

Black isn’t the only student that will be able to give input on the Master Facility Plan. On Feb. 8 the league of Women Voters registered eligible students to vote. The March primary will be the first election many DGS students are able to vote in.

“We are the future. To me you can’t complain about something if you didn’t exercise your right to vote. Voting is a right that not even everyone in America has so everyone should value it and exercise it,” Black said.

Ian Bales is a senior at DGS and has recently registered to vote. Bales will be voting on the referendum in March due to his commitment to have his voice heard.

“I’m voting in the March election because I feel like in this politically divisive climate it’s now more important than ever to make my opinions heard and it influences our government. I also want to help make DGS a better place after I leave so of course I will support the master facility plan,” Bales said.

Kupka encourages community members and students to vote on the referendum, even if they didn’t plan on voting for anything else on the March ballot.

“We all have a say, and that say is our vote. So we really need to go and vote. If you vote on nothing else, you can still vote on this issue. Our vote is our voice in America. That’s how our Republic is structured. So get out there and vote,” Kupka said.