Despite small turnout, passion on display at community meeting on MPS safety

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A member of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors put out a call for a public to show up Wednesday night and share their ideas related to safety in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) buildings. Few people answered that call, but those who did carried a lively and candid debate for about two hours.

The meeting was a final act of sorts for outgoing board director Henry Leonard, who is retiring and will be replaced after next week's elections. Leonard held a similar meeting in December and said he hoped the concept would continue after he's gone.

"Eventually, we'll get- I won't because I won't be on the board, but eventually, we're gonna get to the place where we're gonna be looking at academics," he said. "And more specific restorative practices with building culture and how we can make MPS work a lot better."

All told, only nine community members were in the room for the full discussion, not counting staff, board members and Superintendent Brenda Cassellius.

People split up into small groups. One included John Hartmann, a longtime MPS school safety assistant who said he currently spends his time split between four schools.

"I've broken up 850 fights in 29.5 years, and here I am," Hartmann said. "Why? Because I'm really concerned about what's going on here, as far as our reputation and as far as how the city of Milwaukee is being treated right now. I don't think it's fair."

One of the topics that came up in the groups was police officers in MPS schools. The district placed 25 officers in high schools across MPS last week, finally coming into compliance with a state law that took effect 15 months ago.

Students said they wanted those school resource officers to be prohibited from carrying guns.

"To be able to have those kinds of weapons on them in the safe space that is supposed to be your school," Juliana Cronce, a Riverside High School senior, said. "I think it is a little bit discouraging to have."

Cronce and two other students raised concerns about other security measures like metal detectors, saying it made the schools less welcoming. They shared a table with Ron Pinter, a retired MPS school safety assistant, who said students share some responsibility for how the current situation came to be.

Three MPS students sit with Superintendent Brenda Cassellius and retired school safety assistant Ron Pinter. They drafted a list of priorities for keeping MPS buildings safe.

"What if the kids coming to school actually followed the rules?" Pinter said. "Did what they needed to do while they were there."

Between August 2023 and May 2024, Milwaukee police call logs showed 3,139 calls for service to MPS buildings. Many of those calls were for fights or batteries, but many others were for issues not directly related to the school, such as reports of reckless driving and ShotSpotter alerts.

One table over, a group of three men sat with the newest board member, James Ferguson. At one point, the men debated the value of having children attend schools in their neighborhoods as opposed to being bused elsewhere in the city. Kerry Flowers, a father of MPS graduates, said regardless of location, too many MPS schools don't have enough parental involvement.

"You know that from going to parent-teacher conferences," Flowers said. "You can have a school of 1,200 kids in a parent-teacher conference. You look at the sign-in sheet, and you see, like, three parents that showed up."

In the end, each table was asked to present their thoughts on what constitutes a safe school and what metrics MPS should use for measuring progress. Common answers included fewer fights, and more parents involved in school activities. 

Another frequent refrain was getting better cooperation among the various adults charged with making schools a safe and welcoming environment.

"When I say team, I'm talking about the community," Kendale Allen, a member of Black Men Organizing, said. "The law enforcement, the government and the school staff."

There was also shared lament among those who've been around for a while. They shared how they have heard about these problems and been part of these conversations before. Pinter noted many of the discussion points presented by the district were similar to what he saw on the job 40 years ago.

"It's unfortunate we still, today, have to go to this," he said, holding up the guide sheet. "Because what does that tell you? Where have we gone from 1986 to now? We've got the same problems."

Ferguson said he'd push to ensure the board continued having community safety meetings moving forward. Cassellius also indicated interest in the district administration having a hand in planning such sessions.