Milford board debates tuition-free full-day kindergarten for 2025–26; no vote yet

The Milford Exempted Village School District board on Wednesday discussed a proposal from Superintendent Spicer to offer tuition-free, full-day kindergarten for the 2025–26 school year but took no formal vote.

Board President Mrs. Mason opened the public discussion by saying the proposal had been a district vision for more than two years and that the board wanted to hear how the program could be financially viable before deciding. "It's been a vision, for over 2 years to offer all day kindergarten for all students," Superintendent Spicer said, describing an internal review of enrollment and staffing that suggested the district could expand without hiring new teachers.

Why it matters: District officials said the move could boost early literacy and enrollment at a moment when state funding rules and local enrollment trends place pressure on the district's budget. Treasurer Ackerman told the board that enrollment has fallen in recent years and that the district is operating with limited margins; he said changing full- versus half-day kindergarten status affects how the state counts students for funding and could help stabilize average daily membership (ADM).

Superintendent Spicer and staff presented the academic and community input underlying the proposal. Kelly Ellison, district staff who presented MClass DIBELS screening results, said the district's data show stronger midyear literacy outcomes among students in full-day kindergarten. "Last year, 56% of our kiddos that were starting with us were on track … when we ended the year last year, 87% of our students were on track," Ellison said, and she reported that midyear in the current year full-day students were at about 90% on track while half-day students were at about 73%.

Parker Brown summarized the district's ThoughtExchange engagement: 374 participants submitted 254 unique thoughts between April 30 and May 6, with common themes emphasizing support for equitable access to full-day kindergarten alongside concern for clear, repeated explanation of funding sources. Brown said the top community request was that "the source of funding would need to be clearly stated and repeated often."

Treasurer Ackerman framed the budget trade-offs. He said the district has given about $111,000 per year in scholarships for tuitioned kindergarten and that eliminating midday bus routes could save approximately $150,000. He warned that under Ohio's Fair School Funding Plan the district's current "guarantee" — funding based on a prior-year formula — could be reduced as enrollment falls and said the loss could cost the district "anywhere from 1 to $2,000,000." He added, "Either option, whether you go with tuition or no tuition, we are not making money on this. We are still losing money," and characterized the staff recommendation as an investment to improve enrollment and student outcomes.

Board members raised logistics and community relations concerns. Several trustees asked how the district would communicate funding decisions to voters after two recent failed levies and whether families who prefer half-day kindergarten could be accommodated. District staff said principals would work with families who request half-day schedules and that enrollment for kindergarten remains open. Board members also discussed busing: officials said eliminating midday routes is a predictable local savings but acknowledged parents and high-school schedules could be affected. As one board member summarized, the district would "work with families, and, the community in and of itself will work together to make sure that students get to school."

No formal action on full-day tuition-free kindergarten was taken. The board voted to adjourn into executive session later in the meeting on an unrelated property-purchase matter, and it directed staff to bring the kindergarten proposal to committee hearings the following day and to the board as an item the coming Thursday for further discussion. Board members stressed they would present a clear public explanation of the budgetary calculations and the offsets (retirements, purchase-services savings, transportation reductions) the district says make the program feasible.

Next steps: The proposal will be discussed in committee and may be placed on a board agenda for a vote; district staff said an early decision is preferable so families can make enrollment choices for next school year. "We can bring it to you Thursday," a board member said; no final vote date was set.

Ending: Supporters of full-day kindergarten — including classroom teachers and some parents who testified informally at the meeting — said the change would expand access and support literacy gains. Officials emphasized that any final decision will include detailed budgeting information for the public and reiterated that, as presented at the meeting, the plan does not require hiring additional classroom teachers.