MILFORD, De - Milford residents headed to the polls today to decide the fate of the Milford Middle School, which would require a tax increase for residents spread over a 5 year term.
After nearly 6 years of being closed due to health and safety concerns, the Milford Middle School could be the perfect place to expand, as the district's population continues to rapidly grow.
"It's needed right now best to serve our students and our community. So at the end of the day, I hope our residents really give the value to what's needed for our students so that we can best educate, best serve our students to give them all the opportunities they deserve. We are growing and starting to exceed capacity limits at our present school," explained Dr. Kevin Dickerson, superintendent of the Milford School District.
Last month, Dickerson said that the current population was overcrowding. "We are right now - about 800 students in our 5th and 6th grade population here at this time. One of the biggest concerns we have right now though, we do have over 1,120 students enrolled at Milford Central Academy, and that building was built for 985 students," he told us then. "We think that the project brings tremendous value here not only to our district but to the community as a whole as well. We do serve over 44 hundred students in our district right now. We do want to provide our best in serving our students to our fullest capabilities. The project allows us to renovate and revitalize that 1929 historic centerpiece, enable us to demolish the wings and create modern learning spaces, and we'd have a modern learning environment for our students for years to come. In addition that site has a tremendous asset behind the building as well. We'd have much recreational value behind the building with the space we have." Over the last 10 years or so, the US census reports Milford's population grew over 22%. and kids under 18 make up 26.4% of the city population. With barely enough room for students in the district's current schools, the district says revamping the closed middle school would allow for 1,000 5th and 6th graders to attend class there, giving the district more room, and opportunity to expand extracurricular space.
Revitalizing the school will take time and a lot of money. If approved by the community, wouldn't even begin until fall of 2022. As for the cost, the work on the building is estimated to cost somewhere in the ballpark of $57 million. To pay for that, taxes would go up for city residents, yet not right away, and some of the cost would be shouldered by the state. The district estimates the community would be responsible for around $14 million, and around $42 million would be leveraged from the state.
The first year, taxes would not increase, but a second and third year would seem an increase. By year four and five, the taxes would be back on the decline. For an example tax bracket, click
here. You can check your own property tax assessment, click
here. Some taxpayers say they just aren't sold. "I think there's not enough oversight in the school system creating these taxes. And I personally don't believe they need the money," explained Bill Sharpe, who told WBOC he voted against the referendum. Others such as Todd Culotta, who attended Milford Middle School, say it's what the city needs. "Our amount that we're responsible for is small compared to what the state is providing, so I think it works all the way around," Culotta said. "I think it's absolutely needed, the building has been empty long enough, it's been six years since the last referendum, I think the residents have spoken as to what they want with that building.
The referendum vote is open until 8pm. To participate you must meet all of these criteria:
- Live in the Milford School District,
- Are at least 18-years old
- Are a USA and Delaware Citizen
- Show proof of identity and address–Driver’s license or state I.D.
- You do not need to own property or be a registered voter
- If you are unable to go to the polls, you can request an absentee ballot
Polling locations include:
- Benjamin Banneker
- Lulu Ross
- Milford High School
- Morris Early Childhood Center
More information on the referendum can be found here.