During its regular, monthly meeting on Monday, May 20, 2024, the Milton-Union Board of Education acted on several resolutions to reorganize the district and realize savings beginning with the 2024-25 school year. Board consideration and action was necessary due to inflationary factors and increasing costs leading to deficit-spending of operational dollars. To review Milton-Union five-year forecasts, please follow the link to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce webpage. tinyurl.com/4w6vbbbe
Because public education is a service industry, most school district financial resources are concentrated in employee salaries and benefits. School districts everywhere work to keep employee costs less than or equal to 80% of the total operating budget. Milton-Union is no different in that 76.8% of the district budget funds employee wages and benefits. To temporarily address the financial shortfall and maintain solvency through the most recent five-year forecast, the district needs to realize savings by making cuts with the majority coming from salaries and benefits. Consequently, to recoup savings and maximize efficiency in staffing levels, the entire school district must follow the same bell schedule including common starting and ending times. To review the expected 2024-25 master schedule, please follow the link. tinyurl.com/fr56sd6e
Changes in transportation are required to support the new, common K-12 bell schedule. Please note the following changes in district-provided transportation were approved by the Board of Education during the May 20 meeting.
Beginning with the 2024-25 school year, busing will not be provided for students living less than 1.95 miles from the school. (Please note: The radius was increased to 2.0 miles during the August 6, 2024 Special Board of Education meeting.)
Also, beginning with the 2024-25 school year, busing shall not be provided for any high school students. The district will maintain transportation to and from the Miami Valley CTC. Students attending MVCTC programs must arrange their own transportation to and from the Milton-Union pick-up and drop-off location.
For the entire resolution and to review BOE agendas and read meeting minutes, please follow the link to the Milton-Union webpage. Please note that the May 20 minutes will not be posted to the district webpage until read and later approved by the BOE during its regular June meeting.
The district anticipates further changes following this decision. These changes include, but are not limited to, morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up procedures due to the volume of students who will be driven to and from school buildings by parents and families. District staff members continue to research what modifications will be necessary for pick-up and drop-off, and more information will be communicated in the future. We appreciate the patience of students, parents, and families in August as they drive to and from our facilities as we work through these changes.
The district understands the burden these changes have on parents and families, and we regret the necessity of these changes. Modifications are being made to maximize operational efficiencies and savings. If you have specific questions, please call the Board of Education Office at (937) 884-7910, and your call will be directed to the appropriate staff member.