CFC in the News: “A new bipartisan bill would boost funding to a single independent charter school operator, designating it a ‘demonstration public school’ that could serve as a model to others….

But Colleston Morgan, who runs the Milwaukee-based charter school advocacy group City Forward Collective, said, “While it does draw attention to some of the continued funding disparities that exist between public schools and public charter schools, I’m not certain a one-school pilot is an approach that actually solves those structural systemic challenges.” - Journal-Sentinel, January 12, 2026

1

MPS Avoids Hard Choices as Enrollment Falls

Context: MPS enrollment has fallen by about one-third over the past 30 years, driven largely by population decline. In early 2024, MPS launched a revision of its Facilities Master Plan, a process that has now stretched across two years, three superintendents, a 30 percent property tax increase, and multiple district crises. Last year, a large family survey showed the frustration over packed classrooms and empty schools in the same district.

The latest 75-slide update proposes closing or consolidating five or six schools over the next two to three years. CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan argues that this scale does not match the challenge, writing that each proposed consolidation would still leave schools significantly underenrolled.

Worst of all, the rightsizing plan is inequitable: it spreads the planned spending around all of Milwaukee, while the only schools facing consolidation are in a single school board district: District 4, the historic heart of Black Milwaukee. Rightsizing decisions should be made in ways that are equitable and fair, and targeting only District 4 fails on every level.

WISN-12 News

Why This Matters: This week, Superintendent Cassellius delayed rightsizing again, instead presenting an investment plan that does not address enrollment decline, including phasing out middle schools. At its January 13 meeting, the MPS Board largely set aside closure recommendations.

Cassellius also raised the possibility of another property tax increase, despite CFC’s polling showing strong voter preference for consolidation over a new referendum and growing affordability concerns statewide. MPS leadership continues to sidestep the district’s demographic reality.

What’s Next: Board members deferred action on the investment plan at the January 13 committee meeting and may revisit it on January 22. Cities in the region can present a model for action, as Cleveland leaders collaborated on bold action late in 2025. The model emerging out of Indianapolis, meanwhile, could solve the enrollment problem while also better supporting accountability across sectors.

Related:

• Another MPS Mess in the Making?

• The MPS superintendent wants to wait on school closures. Here’s why.

• Milwaukee Public Schools board proposes closing 6 schools in cost-saving plan

• Milwaukee Board of School Directors - YouTube

• Poll: Milwaukee voters prefer consolidating schools over more taxes

2

As Referendums Push Property Taxes Higher, Leaders Clash on Fix

Context: Wisconsin residents saw the largest increase in K-12 property taxes since 1992, driven largely by school referendums over the last two years. Although last year’s state budget added more than $1.75 billion in new education funding, referendums, a state miscalculation on special education costs, and the state’s school finance structure still pushed property taxes higher.

Why This Matters: This week, state leaders outlined competing paths to property tax relief:

• Gov. Evers proposed incentives for local governments to freeze property taxes, higher state aid to lower school levies, and expansions to the School Levy Tax Credit and other relief programs.

• Assembly Speaker Vos argued that any deal must repeal Gov. Evers’ “400-year veto” on school revenue limits before additional relief moves forward.

What’s Next: Property taxes and affordability are emerging as central issues in a statewide election year. Earlier this month, CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan pointed to Wisconsin’s school funding structure as the core driver of rising taxes.

Related:

• With property taxes surging, Gov. Tony Evers re-ups relief proposal

• Vos ties unwinding of 400-year veto to any deal on property tax relief

• Republicans trade blame with Evers for rising property taxes

• Looking toward final year in office, Evers discusses affordability, immigration

• Evers proposes property tax relief, defends veto that allowed school districts to raise property taxes for 400 years

• Watch: Wisconsin’s Broken Education Funding

  • Listen

3

Colorado Governor on Choice Tax Credit: “It’s Free Money.”

Context: Last year, President Trump signed into law a new federal tax credit that gives tax credits for donations to scholarship organizations supporting students in public and private schools--but states have to opt in. Gov. Evers has said Wisconsin will not, calling the program “catastrophic” for public schools — even as Democrats for Education Reform estimate it could gain Wisconsin up to $450 million and 61% of Democrats support it.

Why This Matters: Democratic Colorado Governor Jared Polis, one of the first Democrats to opt in, this week gave an interview touting the benefits of participation:

“I think that the much broader benefit to so many Colorado families will be after-school activities, and learning for kids that are in public school, summer school activities, tutoring — so many areas that really kids and families will benefit from.

“The more Democratic governors learn about it, I fully expect that most will come around and participate. Because from our perspective, it’s free money.”

What’s Next: MMAC’s “Pay it Forward Wisconsin” is accepting pledges to help quantify the program's impact, even before it launches.

Related:

• Why Colorado’s governor says Democrats should embrace the GOP’s ‘free money’

• Polis plans to opt Colorado into voucher-like federal tax credit scholarship program

• Colorado governor plans to opt into Trump-endorsed initiative that some fear will lead to voucher program

• Will federal tax-credit scholarships help public school students? - Chalkbeat

4

The Keys to the “Mississippi Miracle”: the Science of Reading, School Accountability, and Academics as ‘North Star’

Context: On the most recent National Report Card, Mississippi ranked first in fourth-grade reading and math after adjusting for poverty and race, according to the Urban Institute. Wisconsin’s results stayed flat, and Milwaukee ranked among the lowest-performing districts nationally.

Why This Matters: Mississippi’s gains did not come from smaller class sizes or large funding increases. Instead, the New York Times reports this week, the state made academics the central priority, with three reinforcing moves:

• Clear accountability: Mississippi raised standards and assigned schools A–F grades, including credit for improving outcomes for students in the bottom 25 percent.

• State oversight of academics: The state vets and approves curriculum used by most districts and deploys literacy and math coaches to low-performing schools to support teachers.

• Aligned instruction: Mississippi adopted a phonics-based reading approach early, now used by dozens of states, including Wisconsin.

National researchers increasingly point to accountability and sustained academic focus, not short-term reforms, as key to reversing a decade-long achievement slump.

What’s Next: Matt Yglesias cautions against drawing sweeping political conclusions from Mississippi’s success, writing that the so-called “‘Southern surge’ is great, but it’s just four states”.

Related:

• ​​How Mississippi Transformed Its Schools From Worst to Best

• Some education experts push for high-stakes testing to address declining academic performance

• Why have test scores been going down for a decade? - Chalkbeat

• To Save Public Education, Look to Mississippi - WSJ

• Accountability Is Under Attack, Not Just From Washington, But From the Bottom Up

• Schools are getting worse in most red states

5

Call to Action for Wisconsin Eye, and Call for Educators for Media Literacy

CFC is elevating the needs of Wisconsin Eye, the “C-SPAN of Wisconsin”, which has stopped coverage due to a lack of funding. In addition to stopping event coverage, the video archive of more than 30,000 hours will go offline. Like other observers of state government, we at CFC rely on WisEye to help us inform our community about state decisions that impact k12 students and schools. You can contribute here.

Additionally, CFC is flagging a fully funded professional learning opportunity for Wisconsin educators focused on digital citizenship and media literacy through SOUK. CFC aims to help close the information and honesty gaps facing families and students. The new “Click Smart, Think Smart” training is fully funded to train youth practitioners and educators in helping young people navigate misinformation and strengthen civic engagement. Eligible participants can receive up to six hours of free training and a growing network.

Learn more about the free, fully funded training opportunity here, and contact their Wisconsin lead at Ruth@shoutoutuk.org if you’re interested.

MORE

LOCAL

• 50 years after court order on desegregation in MPS, what’s changed?

• A photographic history of Milwaukee-area court-ordered desegregation since the 1960s

• Milwaukee Public Schools desegregation timeline

• Wauwatosa East students walk out to protest ICE

• Audubon Robotics Teams Help Students Break Down Barriers and Build Skills (and Confidence) - Milwaukee Courier Weekly Newspaper

• Milwaukee police update parents on school resource officers 10 months after return

• Milwaukee school resource officers; mixed views surface at public meeting

• Recently hired MPS deputy superintendent no longer coming to Milwaukee

• ‘Poetry is powerful’: Meet Milwaukee Youth Poet Laureate Angela Wang

• Wisconsin nonprofit leader warns of impact from Trump Administration’s $2B cut to mental health

• These tutors help Milwaukee students jump multiple levels in reading. How does it work?

STATE

• Bill proposes funding one charter school as pilot to improve academic achievement

• Wisconsin bill would require K-6 schools to offer at least 60 minutes of recess every day

• Fewer Wisconsin students feel ‘sense of belonging’ at school - WPR

NATIONAL

• Positive school climate tied to better student attendance

• In an Era of ‘America First’, International Baccalaureate Schools Still Thrive

• Falling Enrollment Most Extreme in Wealthy Districts, Study Finds

• About 4 in 10 teens support cellphone bans in classrooms; fewer back all-day restrictions

• Can American Children Point to America on a Map?

• Education reform is Democrats’ only way to win back disaffected parents: Opinion

• Study: Switching to Charter School Improves Performance for Special Ed Students

This week, the Milwaukee Board of School Directors will receive yet another update on its ongoing Facilities Master Plan revision process. This process has stretched on for FAR too long: it originally launched this work in early 2024 - that’s two years, three superintendents, one 30% property tax hike, and at least five separate MPS fiscal & operating crises ago, for those keeping count.

The School Board continues to delay delivering a plan first promised to voters more than two years ago as part of the campaign for that April 2024 referendum. Now, the School Board is ducking difficult decisions and stretching out timelines to 2028 and beyond.

Meanwhile, MPS continues hemorrhaging both students and money, while the impacts of two realities compound:

• Milwaukee continues to experience a decade-long trend of declining enrollment - one that even MPS now projects to accelerate over the next five years.

• Two tax hikes and hundreds of millions in state funding increases later, MPS still faces a $100M+ deficit and a multi-billion-dollar maintenance backlog - with no clear plan to resolve it.

The “Plan”: Good, Bad, & Ugly

This month’s update on the Facilities Master Plan runs to 75 slides, not including a separate briefing from the district’s new demographers on enrollment trends. That’s A LOT of information to cull through in three days - here’s our key takeaways:

• The good: MPS is using and sharing data with unusual transparency, though many of the most important figures are buried deep in the presentations.
  
  The update is clear about MPS’ long-term enrollment declines: 25-30% since 2004, with birth rates suggesting further declines ahead. The average MPS school now serves only 454 students - nearly 25% below national benchmarks. The costs of subsidizing the district’s 26 most underenrolled elementary schools are detailed, and they are staggering: 15-30% higher costs at each school, with up to $5,000 more per pupil in operating subsidies, and triple the per-pupil spending on facilities maintenance.

• The bad: The rightsizing proposals included in the update fail to meet the moment - in some cases, farcically so. MPS rightsizing 5 or 6 schools, 2-3 years from now simply isn’t enough: Every single one of the 6 proposed consolidations still yields an underenrolled school — in each case, one-third or more of the consolidated school would still be left empty.

And then, there’s this: a proposed consolidation of 3 schools — Auer Ave, Keefe Ave, and Douglas, each with fewer than 200 students (and two of which are on the same city block!) — onto a single campus. Only, after this merger — and millions of dollars of proposed spending on the building — the consolidated Douglas campus would STILL be 68% unused!

Two years into this process, Milwaukeeans rightly should demand better from MPS than half-baked ideas – and plans for half-empty buildings.

• The ugly: As underwhelming as the rightsizing plan is, it’s not the most troubling part of this work. It’s clear the School Board’s fingers are already on the scale — spreading around the planned spending, while whittling down the consultant’s initial list of consolidation candidates from 26 to 6 — and targeting these in a single school board district: District 4, the historic heart of Black Milwaukee.
  
  As I said more than a year ago, rightsizing decisions should be made in ways that are equitable and fair, both in terms of the pain and the gains. Targeting only District 4 fails on every level. It’s insufficient in scale, it’s unsupported by the data, and it’s politically divisive. It perpetuates decades of disinvestment in Milwaukee’s most educationally underserved communities. Every neighborhood should share in both the burden of rightsizing, and the benefits of reinvestment.

Stubborn Facts — and A Stubborn Board

Hard choices have only become harder because for more than a decade, the MPS School Board has stuck its head in the sand, refusing to act even as the district’s last two Facilities Master Plans each indicated MPS faced a billion-dollar-plus backlog of deferred maintenance, while the district was incurring upwards of $60-75M per year in costs for underutilized spaces.

Numbers don’t lie, and the math is clear: the MPS School Board urgently needs to significantly trim its bloated, underutilized, and underperforming portfolio of 130+ district-operated schools.

And, it’s equally clear that more money isn’t the solution: With an annual budget of $1.6 BILLION per year, after two tax hikes totaling more than $330M per year, and now firmly in the top ten of all districts statewide in per-pupil funding, MPS is no longer an underfunded school district.

Taxpayers - here in MKE, and increasingly across the state - have done their part.

The district’s refusal to face reality has made MPS’ tax levy a driver of Milwaukee’s housing and affordability crises. MPS is now the single-largest recipient of local property taxes - 41 cents of every dollar - and the highest-funded unit of local government in Wisconsin.

The district’s heel-dragging is also a significant contributor to skyrocketing statewide property taxes. This year alone, MPS received an additional $105M in state aid - and triggered funding reductions in more than 300 of the state’s other 420 school districts - even while district enrollment declined by 1300 students. Other districts - and their voters - are taking note; MPS’ broken finances are no longer just a Milwaukee issue.

Milwaukee’s students, families, and residents can’t afford more years of tepid half-measures. Our city doesn’t have time for yet another drawn-out, decade-long plan that catches dust on the shelf. Peer cities like Cleveland, which is closing or consolidating 29 schools, are showing that this can be done with strong leadership and community engagement. And, our polling shows Milwaukee’s citizens are ready for this conversation as well.

The bottom line is this: Two years is more than ample time for the School Board to complete a facilities master plan. Enough with denying reality, deferring decisions, and delaying action; if this School Board can’t - or won’t - make tough choices now, then it’s time for voters and elected leaders to step in and hold them to account.

CFC IN THE NEWS

“MPS faces a $100M+ budget gap. Rightsizing 5-6 schools, 2-3 years from now simply isn’t enough,” wrote CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan about the latest update on MPS’ facilities master planning work.

1

Property Tax Pain Puts School Funding in Focus

Context: Property tax bills arrived across Wisconsin at the end of 2025, delivering the largest increase since 2018. K–12 property taxes rose 7.8 percent statewide, the biggest jump since 1992, driven largely by school referenda passed in 2024 and 2025, including a major increase in Madison.

Why This Matters: Some state and district leaders have blamed last year’s budget compromise, but that explanation misses key facts. The budget included more than $1.75 billion in new education spending.

Instead, a mix of factors pushed taxes higher: DPI’s miscalculation of special education costs, the expiration of federal pandemic aid, repeated referenda, and a school finance system that relies heavily on local property taxes.

Lawmakers remain divided on solutions. Speaker Vos has pointed to declining enrollment and falling birth rates as reasons to slow spending. Legislative Democrats have proposed replacing property taxes with higher income taxes on top earners. For now, no clear consensus has emerged, and the political impact remains unclear.

What’s Next: CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan argued this week that the core problem lies in how Wisconsin funds schools. On WTMJ this week, he called Wisconsin “one of one, and not a good one,” urging a shift to a student-based funding model that could better align resources with enrollment while easing pressure on property taxpayers.

Related:

• Wisconsin Policy Forum | K-12 Levies Rise Sharply, Counties More Slowly

• Property taxes are surging in Wisconsin. Here’s what’s behind the rise

• Madison schools account for 17% of rise in statewide K-12 tax levies

• You’ll pay more in property taxes. Thank Wisconsin lawmakers

• Sticker shock from your property taxes? Here’s who to blame

• Wisconsin property taxpayers will see largest increase since 2018

• Point Taken with Steve Scaffidi & Kristin Brey - WTMJ

• How rising property taxes in Wisconsin could shape the midterm elections

• Speaker Vos Tackles Demographic Reality | Dairyland Sentinel

• Dan Rossmiller: What is going on with property taxes? - WisPolitics

• Wisconsin Democrats propose eliminating property taxes for schools after record increases this year

2

Enrollment Trends: “Baby Bust” in MKE, Private School Enrollment Up

Context: MPS enrollment has declined for two decades, with losses accelerating in the last ten years. CFC polling shows strong public support for rightsizing schools rather than pursuing new referenda

Why This Matters: New Marquette Law School data underscores the demographic reality, with births hitting new lows in 2025. MPS has not yet implemented a plan at the scale of the enrollment loss, unlike other cities in the region, such as Cleveland..

Meanwhile, a new Wisconsin Watch report finds that almost half (46%) of private school students statewide now receive public funding through voucher programs. In Milwaukee, state support has made private schools accessible to families who otherwise could not afford tuition. As columnist Alan Borsuk notes in the report, many families historically had no realistic path to private education.

What’s Next: As enrollment patterns continue to shift across Milwaukee and Wisconsin, policymakers and education leaders face growing pressure to focus less on sector debates and more on what works for students.

Related:

• Milwaukee’s Baby Bust Hit New Lows in 2025

• Amid MPS school closure talks, Cassellius crafts investment plan

• Cleveland Metropolitan School District to close or merge 29 schools by 2026-27

• DataWatch: Nearly half of Wisconsin private school students receive a taxpayer-funded voucher

• Back in the News: 46% of State’s Private School Students Get Vouchers

• Voucher schools: Nearly 1/2 of Wisconsin private school students receive a taxpayer-funded education

3

MPS Roundup: Lead Paint, Planning Update, and HR Issues

Lead Paint Cleanup Concludes

MPS announced in late 2025 that it had cleared lead paint from all schools built before 1978, after spending more than $40 million on remediation. The district has budgeted funds starting in 2026 for ongoing monitoring and maintenance to avoid falling behind on routine upkeep, which contributed to the original problem.

Updates on Facilities Insufficient

As 2025 ended, Superintendent Cassellius outlined plans to fix human resources, reduce teacher vacancies, and reinvest in schools with higher need. While these steps address real issues, they do not resolve MPS’s central operational challenge: long-term enrollment decline. Consolidating five or six schools over the next two to three years does not match the scale of student losses over the past two decades, especially as birth rates continue to fall.

Paycheck and Hiring Problems

MPS staff received January 2 paychecks later than expected due to an error involving U.S. Bank. The bank said it would reimburse any overdraft fees caused by the delay.

Separately, MPS announced that its expected new deputy superintendent of operations will not join the district. Days earlier, the Minnesota Reformer reported that the candidate had been placed on administrative leave from Minneapolis Public Schools following issues tied to a state financial audit.

Related:

• One year and $43M later, Milwaukee Public Schools completes its lead paint cleanup

• ‘Everyone’s got to be in the ship together’: MPS faces questions on future of school closures, upgrades

• MPS paychecks were delayed because of U.S. Bank error, bank confirms

• MPS reviewing allegations against new hire for deputy superintendent

• Minneapolis Public Schools puts 3 key finance leaders on leave • Minnesota Reformer

4

High-Performing Public Charter Gains National Recognition

Congratulations to Milwaukee’s Hmong American Peace Academy, a public charter school. HAPA was named a National ESEA Distinguished School, highlighting strong academic results for students from low-income and immigrant backgrounds.

Wisconsin has the third biggest Hmong population in the US, and the school’s latest graduating class had a 100% college acceptance rate.

Related:

• National ESEA Distinguished Schools

• Distinguished Schools: Hmong American Peace Academy

• Hmong American Peace Academy plants seeds for generational change | FOX6 Milwaukee

5

2025 Highlights In MKE Education

As 2025 came to a close, columnist Alan Borsuk pointed to some of the bright spots in Milwaukee education. In addition to the arrival of Superintendent Cassellius and the formation of the Milwaukee Reading Coalition, Borsuk points to a set of cross-sector leaders:

“Important education advocacy in Milwaukee has come for a couple decades from three schools: Milwaukee College Prep, with four campuses on the north side; Bruce Guadalupe on the near south side; and St. Marcus Lutheran, just north of downtown. Sure, they’re controversial to some people because two of them are charter schools, and one is a private school in the voucher program. But they demonstrate that commitment to excellence, rigor and building character can pay off year after year.”

Read the full piece here.

MORE

LOCAL

• After pilot, MPS to offer free menstrual products in school bathrooms

• Milwaukee School Board to consider tighter parameters on police in schools

• MPS stresses importance of health practices as flu cases rise in southeast Wisconsin

STATE

• Rising dual enrollment for high schoolers contributes to Wisconsin technical college growth - WPR

• Wisconsin child care providers await federal funding freeze that could cause closures - WPR

• 74,000 Student Loan Borrowers Could Get Wages Garnished » Urban Milwaukee

• Wisconsin’s School Cellphone Ban Begins in 2026, Kinda

• How many bills were vetoed, became law in 2025? Here are notable ones

• New Wisconsin laws start Jan. 1; wedding barns, resort tax

• Lawmakers look to alter Wisconsin school bus driver rules for those over 70

• Senate committee considers legislation on informing parents of name and pronoun changes • Wisconsin Examiner

• 5 ways the Cap Times’ reporting on educator misconduct sparked change

NATIONAL

• ​​As School Choice Tax Credit Goes National, the Battle over Regulation Begins

• The Best American School System - by Tim Daly

• The Year in Education: 25 of Our Top Stories About Schools, Students and Learning

• Colorado Accepts the GOP’s School-Choice Money

• Trump’s next plan for the US education system: Lots and lots of rules

• Schools are closing in rural America. This state shows the fallout from falling enrollment.

• Has the “Mississippi miracle” been debunked?

DO YOU ENJOY THIS WEEKLY NEWS BRIEF?

If so, please consider a year-end donation to City Forward Collective. We compile news, data, and opinion every week from dozens of news sources and social media channels.

This is the 49th edition of the MKE Edu News Brief in 2025---all free of charge thanks to donors like you.

If you want this newsletter to continue, please consider a year-end donation for 2025.

Thank you for your support, as always.

CFC IN THE NEWS

“You can find proficiency rates (at CFC’s new school finder map). You can find how students are growing, how much they are learning over the year. You can find a direct link to every school’s state report card if you want to dig into more detail around the numbers,” said Colleston Morgan, the executive director of City Forward Collective, to the Journal-Sentinel, December 16th.

Congratulations to CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan for two recognitions at the end of 2025:

• Madison 365 named Colleston one of Wisconsin’s Most Influential Black Leaders for 2025

• The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) names Colleston one of its 2025 Change Makers. Listen to him on their podcast here.

EDITOR’S NOTE

There will be no Milwaukee Education News Briefing for the next two weeks due to the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. The Jan. 9th edition will contain news from Dec. 20th through January 9th.

1

Property Taxes Surge Statewide Due to K-12 Costs

Context: Property taxes rose across Wisconsin in 2024, driven by the $252 million MPS referendum and a record number of passed referendums. Earlier this year, CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan outlined how the state’s decades-old school finance system fails to direct dollars to students while also driving up property taxes.

Milwaukee voters approved the MPS referendum last year, raising property taxes.

Why This Matters: As tax bills arrive, residents face the largest property tax increase since 2018, largely tied to K-12 costs, according to a new Wisconsin Policy Forum report

• Largest K-12 Tax Hike Since 1992: K-12 property taxes jumped 7.8% statewide.

Source: Wisconsin Policy Forum

• Referenda Causing Increases: The combined impact of the 2024 and 2025 referendums, including a major vote in Madison, increased taxes statewide.

• DPI’s Error Miscalculation Adds Pressure. Lawmakers and Gov. Evers approved more than $1.75 billion in new education spending this summer, but DPI underestimated special education costs. As a result, districts received less funding this fall. District leaders blamed the budget, though the shortfall stems from the cost miscalculation.

• Pandemic funds run out: As the IRG’s new report lays out, many districts used one-time pandemic money to fund full-time positions, creating budget gaps and fueling new referendum requests.

What’s Next: Milwaukee and Wisconsin taxpayers continue to support public schools, but they want responsible use of existing funds before approving new taxes. CFC continues to urge lawmakers to restore full special education reimbursement rates and modernize the state’s outdated school finance system.

Related:

• Wisconsin Policy Forum | K-12 Levies Rise Sharply, Counties More Slowly

• Does your property tax bill seem high? It is. The highest since 2018. - WPR

• Property taxes are surging in Wisconsin. Here’s what’s behind the rise

• Madison referendums fuel statewide rise in school tax levies, report says

• Wisconsin gets 7.8% K-12 property tax increase due to referenda, partial veto

• Property Taxes Up By The Most Since 2018 » Urban Milwaukee

• Wisconsin must follow the lead of Florida and Tennessee on how it funds schools

• Empty Schools, Empty Wallets: How Pandemic Aid Led to More School Referenda

2

MPS Roundup: Lead, Literacy, and How to Be Heard

Lead Remediation Complete

MPS spent more than 10 months addressing lead hazards in nearly 100 schools. District leaders report that crews completed lead stabilization work in 99 elementary schools, finishing ahead of the December 31 deadline.

The work cost more than $40 million. Superintendent Cassellius said MPS will now focus on prevention through added training, staffing, and inspections.

Literacy Plan Rollout

MPS has begun implementing its new literacy plan following some of the lowest reading results in the country on the Nation’s Report Card. The plan trains K through third-grade teachers in science-based literacy instruction and adds more time for reading and writing. The full plan is available here.

The rollout comes as 44 states have passed laws to strengthen literacy instruction. The New York Times recently reported that students read fewer novels than in past decades, with effects that extend into college.

Make Your Voice Heard

After recent MPS Board decisions on Carmen Schools that drew opposition from hundreds of families and students, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service published a guide explaining how residents, especially young people, can participate and provide input at MPS meetings.

Related:

• Milwaukee Public Schools completes lead remediation work across district - WPR

• MPS outlines next steps after completing lead-paint stabilization in schools

• MPS lead crisis: District shares update on lead paint stabilization efforts

• MPS completes work on lead paint in the 99 affected elementary schools in the district

• MPS, health department announce completion of lead cleanup work

• Here’s Milwaukee Public Schools’ plan to improve literacy

• Here’s how you can make your voice heard at MPS meetings

• The Science of Reading is Entering its Next Chapter

• Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class.

3

As State Acts on Teacher Misconduct, Gaps Remain

Context: DPI has investigated more than 200 educators for sexual misconduct or grooming, according to a Cap Times report earlier this fall. After skipping a hearing to receive an out-of-state award, Superintendent Underly pledged action as lawmakers introduced new bills.

Why This Matters: As the year ends, the Cap Times spoke with nonprofit and advocacy experts about steps Wisconsin can take to protect students better. Their recommendations include clearer state laws on employee screenings, required staff and student training, and stronger disclosure rules for misconduct when educators seek new jobs. Read their recommendations here.

Gov. Evers also signed a new law requiring schools to promptly notify a parent or guardian if their child is the alleged victim of a sexual offense by a school employee or volunteer.

What’s Next: The new law addresses a clear gap, but advocates and lawmakers say additional reforms remain necessary to strengthen child safety across Wisconsin schools.

Related:

• 7 ways Wisconsin could address educator misconduct like other states

• Schools must notify parents of sexual misconduct under new Wisconsin law

• New law requires Wisconsin schools to inform parents of reported sexual offenses

4

How Can Progressives Address School Choice?

As polls show that a growing number of people of color support bold solutions for school choice, a series of national voices have argued that school choice can live in a progressive vision of the country:

• School choice has a progressive history: Joseph Viteritti’s new book ‘Radical Dreamers’ shows how progressive researchers, lawyers and activists who believed that all children could learn shaped the history of school choice.

• Democrats should learn from successes: The Atlantic’s Jonathan Chait says that Democrats should look to examples of cities, states, and school systems that have shrunk education gaps, from Mississippi’s success in reading to New Orleans post-Katrina, and to the steady gains nationwide after No Child Left Behind. Chalkbeat examines the math gains following that law, while acknowledging the political backlash.

• Connect academic success to affordability: Writing in partial response to the success of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in New York City, longtime reform leader Tim Daly connects educational success to affordability, writing that “One of the best ways to build long-term affordability is a high-performing public education system.”

Related:

• Joseph Viteritti’s ‘Radical Dreamers’ charts progressive roots of school choice

• Why the Left Stopped Talking About Achievement Gaps - The Atlantic

• Would more emphasis on high-stakes testing help address America’s learning woes?

• Affordability Begins with Better School

MORE

STATE

• Gov. Evers, Serve Wisconsin Announce $9.3 Million in AmeriCorps Funding for Serve Wisconsin

• 395 Wisconsin nonprofits, groups get $1.5 million in grants from Packers Foundation

NATIONAL

• FAFSA completion on pace to reach record high this year | WUWM 89.7 FM

• How cell phones and social media are impacting test scores | WUWM 89.7 FM

• Feds announce early opt-in process for new federal school choice program

• Amid Fed Exodus, States Grab Departing Talent from Education Department –

• Data shows a correlation between declining student test scores and the rise of cell phone use

• Beware the Smart Use Divide in AI

• Why Being a Black, Female Science Teacher Matters So Much to Students Who Look Like Me

• Charter school advocates fear their future at the Labor Department

1

Rightsizing: Lessons from Cleveland and Indianapolis

Context: Milwaukee’s declining population is shrinking enrollment across all school sectors, especially MPS, which is considering shifting middle school grades into high school buildings as part of a broader consolidation strategy. CFC’s latest poll shows voters prefer school mergers over another property tax referendum.

Why This Matters: This week, CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan talked about rightsizing with WTMJ’s Kristin Brey and Todd Allbaugh, calling for families, students, and communities to be part of the discussion. Watch the segment here.

The declining enrollment comes as federal pandemic aid ends. A new Institute for Reforming Government report shows that Wisconsin districts are facing fiscal crises because they hired thousands more employees using the temporary federal funding, even as enrollment declines. Read how the hiring decisions did not help Wisconsin recover as well as the leading states here.

Other cities provide useful models for dealing with declining enrollment:

• Cleveland: The school board unanimously approved a consolidation plan that will close 23 buildings and operate 29 fewer schools to address steep enrollment declines and a projected $150 million deficit. The Mayor and community leaders strongly backed the plan after extensive engagement with families.

• Indianapolis: A yearslong debate on transportation, facilities, and charter growth may lead to a “grand bargain” where a new governing body coordinates building use and school busing. The proposal includes expanded busing for charter students.

What’s Next: Declining enrollment is not just a Milwaukee problem, but also a Wisconsin problem. Waukesha and Wauwatosa counties are considering school closures as the state efforts to consolidate districts.

Related:

• Forward Thinking: What is School “Rightsizing”?

• Cassellius: ‘Much more than 5’ MPS schools to close or merge in coming years

• Poll: Milwaukee voters prefer consolidating schools over more taxes

• Cleveland school board unanimously approves building consolidation plan

• Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb addresses concerns about potential CMSD building consolidations

• Indianapolis Tries to Shape a ‘Grand Bargain’ for Charters, District – The 74

• Waukesha School Board to get update following vote on closing schools

• States Consider District Consolidations as Student Enrollment Drops

• Empty Schools, Empty Wallets

• Report: Wisconsin schools allocated COVID funds on historic staffing, not recovery

2

“Why fight Carmen too? To what end?”

Context: In November, the MPS Board’s decisions on public charter schools harmed students, families, and the district itself:

• MPS renewed Carmen Northwest for only one year, contradicting its own review process

• Six public charter schools announced they would leave MPS as their authorizer

• More than 3,500 students are expected to exit MPS, creating a $15 million loss on top of a $100 million structural deficit.

Why This Matters: Julie Brame, wife of longtime Carmen teacher Jason Brame, wrote in the Journal Sentinel about the real human impact of MPS’s decision. She described the school’s culture:

“At Carmen, he (Jason) found an environment he loved: a school focused on continual improvement where every teacher and every administrator gave their all, every single day, for the kids. Was it still hard? Of course. Did every day go well? No. Were there cultural differences to navigate? Absolutely.

But what defined Carmen is this: No one gave up — ever.”

Art Teacher Miguel Hernandez helps students-Journal-Sentinel

Julie urges MPS to look past politics and recognize Carmen’s role in serving Milwaukee students:

“The challenges facing MPS, poverty, intergenerational trauma, racism, and more, are far larger than any school can solve alone. These are the battles we must fight for all our schools. We must stand with our teachers, administrators, students, and families. Why fight Carmen too? To what end?”

What’s Next: Julie ends by calling on readers to contact MPS Board members and the Mayor’s office to urge them to lease or sell the current building to Carmen.

Related:

• MPS should let Carmen schools thrive for Milwaukee students | Opinion

• Despite a 1-year lease extension, Carmen leaders and advocates angry with MPS board decision

• These Milwaukee schools saw the greatest achievement, growth and overall scores on the state report card

3

Special Education Update: DPI Error Causes Funding Fight; MPS Audit Coming

Context: The state budget that Gov. Evers signed included more than five hundred million dollars in new special education funding. It raised the reimbursement rate to 42 percent and then 45 percent, the highest level in thirty years. CFC strongly supported the agreed-upon compromise in the state budget.

Why This Matters: In November, DPI told districts that the state will reimburse at an initial rate of 35%, down 10% from the rate promised in the budget. The gap resulted from a DPI error that underestimated districts’ reimbursable expenses as the legislature considered the budget this summer.

In response, Rep. Angelina Cruz and Sen. Jeff Smith introduced a bill that would require the state to cover special education costs at the full rates written into the budget. CFC remains strongly in favor of raising the reimbursement rate as outlined in the state budget deal, despite DPI’s errors.

What’s Next: The disagreement over rates highlights deeper problems with Wisconsin’s outdated special education funding structure that CFC has written about. MPS will begin a districtwide special education audit early next year to guide future programming for students with disabilities.

Related:

• CFC Policy Brief: The Critical Need for Special Education Reform

• Kid-First Leadership From The Courageous Center

• Special education reimbursement in Wisconsin drops below expected rate

• The budget deal gives some lawmakers heartburn. Tony Evers, GOP leaders say that’s what compromise looks like

• Dems propose bill to restore Wisconsin special education funding rates

• Democratic lawmakers propose bill to ensure schools get special education funding at estimated rates

• Milwaukee Public Schools plans audit to look at how it serves students with disabilities

4

Colorado Joins Federal Choice Tax Credit, as Pressure Builds on Wisconsin

Context: States have the option to participate in a new federal tax credit allowing donations to scholarship organizations supporting students in public and private schools. Gov. Evers has said Wisconsin will not, calling the program “catastrophic” for public schools — even as Democrats for Education Reform estimate it could gain Wisconsin up to $450 million and 61% of Democrats support it.

Why This Matters: This week, Colorado Governor Jared Polis enthusiastically announced that Colorado will participate. Polis said it was a no-brainer for the state to take advantage of the federal tax credit scholarship program, describing it as “a real boom of investment in kids.”

Chalkbeat reports on the rulemaking process for the tax credit, which could determine whether the program could pay for a wide range of services, including after-school, tutoring, summer school, or microschools. The Treasury Department is seeking comments before developing draft rules.

What’s Next: MMAC’s “Pay it Forward Wisconsin” is accepting pledges to show Evers, or whoever is governor when it’s time to decide, that there’s demand for the program.

Related:

• Colorado governor plans to opt into Trump-endorsed initiative that some fear will lead to voucher program.

• Polis plans to opt Colorado into voucher-like federal tax credit scholarship program

• Will federal tax-credit scholarships help public school students?

• Pay It Forward Wisconsin

5

MPS Round Up

Superintendent Cassellius is Standout of the Year: Congratulations to Dr. Cassellius, who was honored as a Wisconsin Morning News Standout of the Year. WTMJ highlights the peril MPS faced when it hired her and how she’s pushing forward on the major priorities of enrollment, test scores, and vacant MPS buildings. Watch the whole interview with her here.

Former MPS Board Member Pleads Guilty: Former MPS Board member Aisha Carr pled guilty to a campaign finance reporting violation after charges were brought earlier this year.

Related:

• WTMJ 2025 Standout of the Year - Dr. Brenda Cassellius

• The SOTY’s Day 2 - Dr. Brenda Cassellius

• Former MPS board member Aisha Carr pleads guilty to campaign violation

MORE

LOCAL

• Future Panthers? Milwaukee high school freshmen visit UWM to jump-start college dreams

STATE

• Oneida Nation initiative aims to bring third graders up to reading level - WPR

• Health Care Costs Are Overwhelming Wisconsin Teacher Salaries » Urban Milwaukee

• Over one-third of Wisconsin’s youngest students face reading challenges

• 200 Madison teachers haven’t finished state mandated reading training

• Majority of Wisconsin kids fall short in math as legislators consider fix

• Wisconsin lawmakers have ideas to improve math education; teachers, experts are skeptical

NATIONAL

• Education Department recalls fired attorneys amid civil rights complaint backlog

• Millions of borrowers in Biden’s SAVE plan would start paying under new settlement

• Youth Mental Health Improved When Schools Reopened, Study Finds - The New York Times

• Partisan Polarization & K-12 Education: Results of a National Survey

• 70% of high school principals say ICE is taking a toll on their schools