Closing neighborhood schools can be dangerous.

People often identify closely with small-city schools and the topic of closing them rarely fails to rankle.

But a $39.9 million bond referendum proposing such a measure has been scheduled for a Tuesday vote in the Waterville-Elysian-Morristown School District.

“We tried a bond referendum in 2003,” said WEM Supt. Joel Whitehurst. “And it was really a contentious issue in our district. Going from three buildings to one can really divide a community. But we’re confident it’ll be different this time.”

As of now, the WEM School District operates an elementary school in Elysian, an elementary/junior high in Morristown and an elementary/high school in Waterville.

If passed, the bond referendum would allow for the purchase of a 60-acre school site just north of Hwy. 13 on Waterville Rd. and the construction of an entirely new school building with the capacity for more than 1,000 students. The new facility would house preschool along with K-12 grade levels and would accommodate enrollments that top this year’s number of 934.

For complete story, see the Friday, May 2, 2008, print edition of The Free Press or sign onto our e-edition.

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