Milan board approves $2,000 teacher bonus while saying it opposes other parts of Education Freedom Act

The Milan Special School District Board of Education on April 28 voted 5'to—2 to adopt a resolution accepting the $2,000 teacher bonus provided in Section 4 of the Education Freedom Act while formally registering opposition to other elements of the law.

Board members said they wanted teachers to receive the one-time payment while signaling disagreement with the broader voucher-oriented provisions in the act. The board voted after lifting the earlier motion to table the resolution and discussing edits to language in the last two paragraphs that clarify the district's position.

Board member Miss Biggs moved to approve the resolution; Mr. Crocker seconded. The motion passed 5'to—2. The resolution as adopted says the district will participate in Section 4'the teacher bonus'but also asks lawmakers to examine the broader impacts of the Education Freedom Act on public schools and communities.

During discussion, one board member said accepting the bonus while opposing vouchers could create political tension in future years but acknowledged the practical benefit of direct teacher support now. The board did not place conditions beyond the language in the resolution and did not amend Section 4'only the district's statement of opposition to other sections.

The board did not record a roll-call for individual yes/no votes in the public transcript; the final tally announced by the chair was 5 in favor, 1 opposed.

The resolution will be retained in district records and implemented administratively as needed to receive and distribute the $2,000 payments to eligible teachers.