Parents and PAC spotlight special-education funds and push board to raise support-staff pay
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Summary
Multiple parents and PAC representatives urged Milan Area Schools to raise pay for teachers and paraprofessionals and called attention to Washtenaw ISD special-education fund balances; PAC rep Sarah Norton summarized WISD LRE monitoring and local inclusion initiatives.
A string of parents, staff and PAC representatives at the Milan Area Schools public-comment periods urged the board to address staff pay, special-education supports and facility problems that speakers said are driving families away from the district.
Jim Russo, identifying himself as president of the Milan Education Association, described an expired collective bargaining agreement and said the union—s salary proposal is fair; he cited a county comparison that placed Milan near the bottom for teacher pay. "We deserve to be compensated fairly for the work we do," Russo said, and he reported that mediation between the union and the district is underway.
Andrea Benning, a Milan PAC volunteer speaking as a parent, referenced a Washtenaw ISD transparency report and quoted a special-education fund balance of $17,700,000 as of June 2025, an increase of $7,400,000 from the prior year. She argued that special-education millage revenue, the sinking fund millage and CTE millage availability justify examining more comparable pay scales for paraprofessionals and other staff.
Sarah Norton, Milan—s representative to the Washtenaw ISD Parent Advisory Committee, outlined PAC discussion topics from the Jan. 20 meeting, including preparation for a Least Restrictive Environment monitoring meeting and examples of district practices in other districts (peer-to-peer PE classes, dedicated support time for students with IEPs). Norton invited the community to upcoming Milan Unified Sports basketball home games and encouraged families to use district resources and the parent newsletter for information.
Other public commenters described facility concerns (including recent flooding at the high school), loss of course offerings that affect student retention, and fears about possible ICE activity at bus stops. Speakers repeatedly tied staff compensation to retention and program quality. Several parents asked the board to "close the gap" between Milan pay and neighboring districts to keep experienced educators and paras in the district.
What happens next: PAC representatives and parents said they will continue engagement with the board and administration; the board reiterated that mediation with the Milan Education Association is ongoing and that some non-teacher groups have tentative agreements that still require ratification.