AVOID THE SPREAD OF MISINFORMATION
To avoid the spread of misinformation by Committee members, elected officials, and the public the following facts can be borrowed.
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The Board of Finance’s recommended budget fell short of required costs for current programs and teacher salary obligations. This decision WILL require CUTS to current programming and staff. It will have a devastating impact on Milford schools.
We are asking the Milford’s Board of Alderman to restore the $1,844,816 in the proposed budget and safeguard our schools.
To put this into perspective, a similar budget reduction of 2.2 million in 2010 was a major factor in the closing of Simon Lake Elementary School. This cut means the threat of:
- losing another one of our schools,
- loss of sports and extracurriculars,
- class size increases across the board,
- wiping away the progress we have made toward high-quality education, world languages in all grades, career pathways, STEM labs, and more to accommodate a cut this
Milford Public Schools has a great webpage of info on the Board of Ed’s proposed budget here.
Great meetings to watch are the superintendent’s budget presentation here
And meetings where the Board of Ed discusses the impact of the Board of Finance cuts here and here.
This is an economic issue. Meaningful investments into schools mean thriving cities: people choosing to move into and stay in Milford. A 2020 study found that a 1% increase in school spending increases the value of homes by .95 percent. Households highly value spending on the salaries of teachers and staff.1
Our children need support NOW. Cuts will place a greater burden on Milford’s school system at a crucial time for children, teachers and staff.
- National test results show the pandemic’s devastating effects on American schoolchildren, with some scores falling by the largest margin in more than 30 years. Declines were seen across almost all race, ethnicity and income levels, but were markedly worse for the most vulnerable students.2 Experts state that these tests are “quite predictive of [children’s] success later in school, and their educational trajectories overall.”
- Significant increases in mental health challenges among children, adolescents, and their families led the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital Association to declare a national state of emergency on these issues.3
This is a workforce issue. Milford’s decision-makers have led strong progress toward high-quality education, world languages in all grades, career pathways, STEM labs and more. These are supports our students need to be prepared for the workforce.
Make no mistake. This is a sensible budget that covers required investments – in staff, teachers, counselors, and high-quality education, to make now for long-term results.
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1Bayer, P.J., Blair, P.Q., Whaley, K. A National Study of Public School Spending and House Prices. 2020. https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Taubman/PEPG/colloquium/2021-02-18-pepg-colloquium-blair-et-al.pdf
2American Academy of Pediatrics. AAP-AACAP-CHA Declaration of a National Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. 10/19/21.. https://www.aap.org/en/advocacy/child-and-adolescent-healthy-mental-development/aap-aacap-cha-declaration-of-a-national-emergency-in-child-and-adolescent-mental-health/
3American Academy of Pediatrics. AAP-AACAP-CHA Declaration of a National Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. 10/19/21.. https://www.aap.org/en/advocacy/child-and-adolescent-healthy-mental-development/aap-aacap-cha-declaration-of-a-national-emergency-in-child-and-adolescent-mental-health/
MilfordEd Advocates 