Good Afternoon Milford Public Schools Community,
On Monday, after a nearly three-year-long process, the Board of Education voted to adopt a Long Range Facilities Master Plan. This decision provides a roadmap for modernizing our learning environments and ensuring our infrastructure meets the needs of all students for decades to come.
Where we’ve come from
This plan is a culmination of rigorous data analysis, expert consultation, and, most importantly, the invaluable input provided by the Milford community. Over the course of this planning, the Board solicited studies and considered data and community feedback. Some of the information that was considered over the course of this planning process includes:
Facilities capacity and utilization study
Enrollment projections
District improvement plans
Facilities conditions study
Community feedback in the form of focus groups, surveys, Community Conversations, Public Engagement Sessions, and Board Meeting Public Comments
The Long Range Facilities Master Plan spans 20 years (as represented in the chart below).
Phase 1 - New buildings that will be constructed simultaneously on the properties of Live Oaks and John F. Kennedy Elementary Schools, hopefully breaking ground in the 2029-30 school year.
Phase 2 - The construction of a new West Shore Middle School, followed by East Shore Middle School.
Phase 3 - The remaining four elementary schools will be constructed or renovated (Orchard Hills, Mathewson, Orange Avenue and Pumpkin Delight).
Phase 4 - While the high schools can expect regular program improvements throughout, the plan ends with final infrastructure updates for Jonathan Law, then Joseph A. Foran.
Important to Note
No changes will occur immediately. Under this Master Plan, the earliest a school could be retired is the school year 2031-32.
Specific implementation plans involving swing space and redistricting will be determined as the timeline progresses.
No funding is attached to the adoption of the master plan. Funding is considered annually on a project-by-project basis.
What’s next: A multi-step collaborative process involving City partners:
May 26: The first phase of the plan, beginning with a request for architecture and design work, will be incorporated into the Board's Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) in five-year increments. The plan is then sent to the Mayor to be incorporated into the City's five-year CIP. The CIP is subsequently updated annually
Winter 2026: The Mayor submits the CIP to the Planning & Zoning Board and the Board of Aldermen for adoption, respectively
Early 2027: The Board of Finance and Board of Aldermen consider bonding requests, which will determine the progression of the first phase of the Long Range Facilities Master Plan
Project Oversight: Once bonding is approved, projects are managed by the Permanent School Facilities Planning Committee, which includes representatives from the Board of Education
As we move forward
We recognize that a long-term plan involving redistricting and school closures can bring a sense of uncertainty. As we move forward, our goal is to:
Support students and staff members through changes and transitions
Maintain access to high-quality programming and our current class size guidelines (a maximum of 18 in Kindergarten, 20 in Grades 1-2, and 23 in Grades 3-5)
Have children experience redistricting only once
Provide regular updates as we move from conceptual planning to architectural design and beyond
We are excited to begin this journey toward a modernized Milford Public Schools. Thank you for your continued partnership.
Sincerely,
Susan Glennon, Chair Anna M. Cutaia, Ed.D., Superintendent
Board of Education Milford Public Schools