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Milton touts early-childhood inclusion success and outlines plans to expand complex-needs elementary services
Summary
Administrators reported Milton’s early-childhood inclusion rate at about 86% for students receiving at least half of special education services in regular classrooms and described plans to expand capacity for elementary students with complex needs (21 students identified for 2025–26).
District staff reported strong performance in early-childhood inclusion and outlined planning to expand elementary complex-needs programming to increase equity across school sites.
A district presenter said Milton is currently at about 86% of early-childhood students receiving at least 50% of their special-education services in regular education settings, above the state target (38.38) and well above a cited national average. The board recognized the early-childhood team — Stephanie Hicks, Erin Vogt, Jody Bennett and Jasmine Sharp — for their grant work and program improvements.
Administrators also reported a notable increase in elementary students requiring complex special-education supports: 21 students for 2025–26, a jump of 10 students from the prior year. That growth prompted staff to recommend expanding complex-needs programming beyond Milton West and into Milton East to provide more equitable access to services, reduce travel or disruption for families, and create additional space and staffing to meet needs.
Board members asked about facility modifications and staffing; staff said minimal physical changes would be required at Milton East and emphasized planning this year so any changes could occur over the summer rather than during the school year. The district will provide a follow-up update once exact enrollment counts by site are finalized.
What happens next: Staff will plan and prepare for an expansion in 2026, including staff training, equipment transfer and parent communications; the board asked for a future update when final site numbers are available.
