Milford school board to have final vote on long range facilities plan to May
How to minimize disruptions for students as Milford Public School prepares to build and renovate its school buildings as part of its long-range plan for the next 20 years. This comes after parents raised concerns at a meeting last week.
“Where do you start and where do these schools actually get renovated or built as new in this case?” Superintendent Dr. Anna Cutaia of Milford Public Schools said.
That’s the juggling act Milford Public Schools is trying to figure out as it prepares to move forward with its long-range facilities plan to build and update new school buildings, since most are old and outdated.
The goal is to minimize disruptions for students so they’re not moving from place to place while still having a temporary space where they can learn. Curtaia said the original idea was to start by building and closing some elementary schools, then middle schools, and eventually high schools down the line.
“You have to use what you have as swing space or create swing space and starting with elementary naturally created more swing space,” she said.
But some parents think starting at the high school or middle school would be less disruptive for younger students as they move through the school system.
Consultants said that it could end up extending the long-term plan and costing more. But Curtaia and the school board want to look at all these options. That’s why they postponed the final vote.
They’re now seeing what else can be done while keeping safety in mind.
“That’s our number one priority. So, safety while we move students around and build new, and just making sure that students and staff feel like they’re part of a community,” she said.
Curtaia stressed to parents that there are still a few years before any construction begins, but throughout this process, she wants to ensure belonging remains a key priority.
“We commit to that all throughout this process. We commit that our young people and our staff members will have a place to belong where they can call this their community,” she explained.
Curtaia said the final vote on the long-range plan will happen sometime in May.
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