State secretary of education visits Milton Area School District

Sep. 12—MILTON — Pennsylvania Department of Education Secretary Khalid Mumin visited the Milton Area School District's Baugher Elementary School and the middle and high school, where he talked with teachers, administrators, and students of all ages.

Mumin began the morning at Baugher, and was welcomed by an energetic, cheering group of fourth-grade students, who then received high fives from the secretary.

Baugher is undergoing an $18 million renovation.

Mumin was led through the cafeteria and into teacher Katie Kling's third-grade classroom, where he told students about when he was in Prince Hall Elementary School, in Philadelphia. "I still remember those days," he said.

"There are things you learn here that will be lifelong lessons," Mumin said. "Be kind to one another all the time, and be humble."

Mumin was impressed by Kling, who is a Milton graduate.

"Teaching is a local phenomenon. So building up the resources and building up the pathways is the best thing for our students," he said.

District Superintendent John Bickhart was at Baugher to meet Mumin as he arrived — as did a group of politicians, including State Sen. Lynda Schlegel Culver, R-27, Sunbury, and State Reps. Michael Stender, R-108, Sunbury, and Rep. Jamie Flick, R-83, Williamsport.

"His visit is exciting for our district," Bickhart said, as he and school principal David Slater gave Mumin a quick tour of the premises. "It gives us an opportunity to share the amazing things that are going on with the top leader of education in Pennsylvania. We are excited to have him visit and see our classrooms, and our CTE (Career and Technical Education) program at the high school."

Bickhart also wanted to share with Mumin the opportunities available for students.

"At the local level and at the state level, we all recognize the financial hardships we face, so we want to be stewards of that money," Bickhart said. "Our board had to make a difficult financial decision and not back off a project that post-COVID is very expensive, but it is in the best interest of our kids."

Renovation work is still going on at the elementary school, "but the beauty of the work is that we get to see the progress that is being made every day," Bickhart said.

"When you walk into this school you see culture, and school spirit. I could see this is a very solid child-centered program," Mumin said. "What you are seeing here is nothing but love, respect, plus diversity.

"There is school pride here that is unbelievable."

After spending an hour at Baugher, Mumin left for the high school, where he highlighted Milton's CTE program.

"All students deserve the freedom to learn, grow, and succeed in school," said Mumin. "By making sure students have safe, healthy classrooms and learning environments, and giving them the opportunity to chart their own course and take advantage of career and technical education programs while still in high school, students are being set up for lifelong success and engaging, rewarding future careers."

Career and technical education programs give students the ability to gain useful skills necessary for their future careers, and the ability to network and connect with local businesses, some of which are their future employers.

More than 200 school districts, charter schools, and career and technical centers across the commonwealth offer nearly 2,000 approved CTE programs, providing education to over 68,000 students, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Governor Josh Shapiro's 2023-24 budget includes $567 million in basic education funding — the largest increase to the Basic Education Funding Formula in Pennsylvania history. It also includes $23.5 million to bring career and technical education into the classroom.