The Wawasee School Board work session drew quite the crowd, filling up a great portion of the Milford Middle School gym. Photo by Ron Baumgartner.

By Caleigh Byrer
InkFreeNews

Wawasee School Board held a work session Tuesday, Oct. 25, at which 24 patrons spoke in favor of keeping Milford Middle School open.

The public comment portion of the night made it evident that there is  something different about Milford Middle School, one community member claimed, “there is just something in the water here.”

Superintendent Dr. Steve Troyer opened the session with a presentation on the growing inequity between Wawasee Middle School and Milford Middle School.

Milford Middle School has been operating for 32 years and in that time, there has been one formal discussion about closing the school. That occurred in 2016 following a climate audit. Deliberation on the school’s functionality has continued ever since.

Two disclosures were announced before data was presented: Dr. Troyer assured that Milford Elementary will remain open regardless of what becomes of the middle school, and bus transportation times will stay relatively the same.

Dr. Troyer provided a comparison of programs that showed the educational variation between the schools in which the core program is the only one to be offered equally in both schools.

Only Wawasee Middle School students have access to Project Lead The Way, which consists of pre-engineering and biomedical sciences, an alternative learning program, athletics, drama club, the planetarium, the pool and the greenhouse.

A family and consumer science class is available to all Wawasee Middle School students for a full year, but only a nine-week course is offered at Milford; choir is offered at Wawasee Middle School for a full year, but only nine weeks for Milford; and swimming is offered at Wawasee Middle School for nine weeks, but only two weeks at Milford.

There is a disproportionate number of opportunities between the schools, with Milford having significantly fewer programs and shorter class terms.

Dr. Troyer also stated some students who are not ready to be in a high ability or advanced course may still be added despite their lack of readiness as a result of scheduling conflicts. As the school administration struggles with staffing, they must create schedules in accordance with the teachers they have and what courses students need to be in.

Three of 11 teachers at Milford are utilizing an emergency permit, meaning they are teaching outside their respective fields, while only one of the 28 Wawasee Middle School teachers is operating with an emergency permit.

The Milford core class teachers are also teaching elective courses because of staffing difficulties.

The school corporation is currently spending $1,206 more per student at Milford than at Wawasee Middle School and 22% more in teacher costs at Milford. The prospective savings in the event of a merge would be $250,000-$400,000 annually, depending on the staffing needs as a unified school.

Greg Fitzloff represented Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation in his presentation of a future housing development map. As these projects could potentially affect Milford Middle School enrollment rates, Fitzloff stated the board should wait until these projects conclude, around the 2024-2025 school year, to make their final decision. Photo by Caleigh Byrer.

When the floor was opened to public comment, many community members echoed each other: There is truly something special about Milford Middle School.

There were also many references to skewed enrollment and staffing numbers attributable to COVID-19, that the student-to-teacher ratios were not as drastic as they were presented to be and the drop in enrollment rates being a result of the ongoing discussion about closing Milford Middle School.

Among the 24 attendees who spoke were two students of Milford Middle School. They each expressed they did not understand why the only solution to the problems at hand is to close their school and stated they do not want that to happen.

Carolyn Zimmerman, resident of Milford, reminded the board that the Milford community needs to be advocated for and their voices need to be heard. “I have been a parent in this school system for 13 years and my voice has not been heard,” she stated.

Zimmerman and a few other speakers stated the board should table this discussion until after the new school board members are elected.

Laurie Dixon, Wawasee teacher, and Brent Berkeypile, Wawasee Middle School principal, expressed their love of Milford Middle School. While remaining fairly neutral whether to keep the school open, they expressed to the crowd that if the middle schools merge, Milford students will still be treated with the same love and respect.

Deputy Marshal R.J. Plummer with the Milford Police Department offered a new perspective on the culture within Milford Middle School. Plummer stated that the close-knit community gave him the ability to pinpoint what students needed help and to make a difference for them. He also believes that programs and athletics have dwindled at Milford to intentionally make Wawasee more appealing. Photo by Caleigh Byrer.

Those who spoke had one collective message: Milford Middle School has done many good things for its students and for the community in the past and it can continue to do so if the board allows the school to stay open.

Dr. Troyer will take all comments into consideration before he presents an official recommendation to the board, which can be expected at the November or December school board meeting.