Milford School Committee Votes 4-2 to Pause Graduate Course Reimbursements Over Rigor Concerns

MILFORD -- May 21, 2026, Milford School Committee votes 4-2 to pause graduate course reimbursements amid concerns over low-rigor online coursework driving a $325,000 single-year salary-lane-change budget increase. Committee member Christopher Tarr argued that a full-time employee cannot meaningfully complete 10 graduate-level courses simultaneously, saying the volume "makes me question the quality and the caliber of the course work." Member Matthew Mauro placed the blame on asynchronous online recertification courses enabled by COVID-era distance learning norms, distinguishing them from legitimate graduate programs. The committee approved reimbursements for staff submitting nine or fewer credit hours unanimously, while pausing any request tied to 10 or more credit hours pending a review by a two-person ad hoc subcommittee of Tarr and Mauro, who will consult legal counsel and begin discussions with the Milford Teachers Association. A separate unanimous vote authorized the chair and superintendent to write to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education urging it to stop approving such courses; over a four-year period, lane-change costs have roughly doubled.