Participating parents are working on more than one booster ahead of the school district’s May 8 referendum vote.

Members of Albert Lea High School’s sports booster clubs, including football, boys’ and girls’ soccer, softball, track and baseball as well as some other volunteers are staffing a temporary phone bank with the intention of informing people about the upcoming vote and to answer questions.

“It was important for us that we involve the people that it’s going to directly affect for buy-in,” said parent and girls’ soccer booster club member Kim Nelson.

The big push has been the phone bank, Nelson said. The group, working as “Vote Yes for Albert Lea Students,” has already completed three nights of calling and has three more scheduled. Thursday’s calling was cancelled due to sports rescheduling. As of Sunday, the group had made over 1,200 calls, with approximately 10 people a night committing two hours and 30 minutes to the task.

The group is making its calls from Wedgewood Cove. The booster clubs involved are footing the cost of space, while Education Minnesota — a union for educators— has provided the team with computers, phones and the software for the phone bank. Nelson said they were able to do this after the teacher’s union in Albert Lea voted in favor of the referendum.

The Vote Yes for Albert Lea Students committee will also mail out postcards.

The calling list the group is starting with was provided by the school district, Nelson said, and contains the guardian contact listings for students in the district.

Although the list contains those associated with the school through a student, Nelson said she has also heard positive responses outside of the call bank from those who may not have a direct connection to the district.

Nelson said that within her calls, she has mostly been hearing people in favor of the referendum or has been leaving messages.

Parent and booster club member Rita Moyer said she sees the issue as a community one, and is therefore receiving a positive response from community members. Moyer has one son who graduated from Albert Lea High School and one who is currently a junior, playing football and baseball.

Nelson said the group is focusing on the community impact of the proposed referendum changes.

“I think many of us just feel that you say yes to the kids,” Moyer said. “You say yes to the school district. I think many people understand the importance of investing in the school. It’s not just about athletics; it’s just the whole atmosphere, I think.

“When a community invests in the school district, it makes it a very positive environment not only for the students, but for the community at large, and I think people recognize that.”

The group will finish making calls on Tuesday.