Milwaukee Public Schools to release list of schools considered for closures, mergers

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is expected to release the list of schools that could either close or merge as part of their 10-year long range facilities master plan. 

MPS officials say while the list is formed based off of data, nothing final has yet been decided. 

According to MPS, the goal of these changes is to improve the educational experiences of all students but that could come at a cost for others. 

MPS says no closures or mergers would be planned for either the upcoming or the 2025-26 school years. 

Researchers sorted schools into four categories: 

• Building and programmatic investments
• Building addition
• Closure/merger
• Ongoing monitoring and evaluation

Officials say they used key factors like building condition, utilization, specialty programming, and geographic distributions to decide. However, something important to note is any school that could be considered to close or merge could also become a candidate for investment into its programming and facilities. 

"When we talk about closure, we always have to remember that closing a school is always difficult," said Eduardo Galvan, MPS interim superintendent. "So, when you look at it, we also need to think about investment. So, how do we invest in schools and in areas that make those schools more attractive to those families?"

The full list is expected to come out Friday afternoon. 

The Milwaukee County Board is set to have a special meeting Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 5:30 p.m. to review the progress report which will be open to the public.

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