MPS, health department announce completion of lead cleanup work

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Nearly one year after a Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) student first tested positive for dangerously high levels of lead, district and city leaders came together Wednesday, Dec. 17, to announce they've finished remediation efforts at nearly 100 schools.

Superintendent Brenda Cassellius added the cost of the cleanup far exceeded the original estimate, and she acknowledged that will cause some strain as it relates to future capital spending decisions. 

Cassellius joined Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee Health Commissioner Mike Totoraitis in sharing MPS has cleaned 99 schools that have elementary classrooms, meeting the district's goal of finishing remediation efforts at those schools by the end of 2025.

It brought a close to a months-long saga that initially saw nine different schools closed for immediate cleaning after testing found high levels of loose lead paint.

"On behalf of MPS, I offer our most sincere apology," Cassellius said. "For the disruption and the anxiety this may have caused your family and commit to doing all that we can to ensure it just never happens again."

After finishing the initial nine schools, MPS moved on to 14 older schools. The district prioritized another 31 schools after that, with the goal of finishing those buildings by the start of the school year in September. 

MPS then set the end of December as its deadline for finishing remediation efforts at the remaining schools, which were built after 1950.

Across 99 schools, Cassellius said the cleanup efforts covered 2,700 classrooms and nearly 7,000,000 square feet of school property.

Initially, the district estimated the cleanup efforts would cost $25 million. Instead, the final price tag was $43 million.

"Our buildings are just older," Cassellius said. "And they needed a lot more repair than what was anticipated, and then, of course, we had the [summer] floods, and we had the heat."

The money came from the district's capital reserve fund, so Cassellius said there won't be an immediate effect, but the spending could lead to tough decisions in the future.

"It does put an immense stress on our capital budget," she said. "So, we still need to fix roofs and boilers and toilets and all of the day-to-day maintenance."

Totoraitis said the successful remediation was a significant feat, noting the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) under U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. disbanded a team of lead experts that otherwise would've given Milwaukee guidance at the outset of the city's lead crisis.

Totoraitis noted Wednesday the CDC has since rebuilt that lead unit, but that was cold comfort for Milwaukee, which largely had to go it alone during the most difficult stretch of MPS' response.

"That was an unprecedented situation for our city," Totoraitis said. "And, quite frankly, in our country."

Totoraitis added he was impressed with Cassellius' leadership during the remediation process.

He highlighted her commitment to making sure the project stayed on scheduled, making a veiled reference to MPS' 2024 financial crisis, which stemmed from the district's financial office submitting late and inaccurate data to the state, ultimately leading to then-Superintendent Keith Posley resigning in disgrace.

"Meeting deadlines- if folks know the city and know the district, the district has struggled to meet deadlines," Totoraitis said. "And that was one of the first things that stood out for me."

Moving forward, Cassellius said MPS is in much better shape as it relates to keeping schools clean. She said MPS has hired 39 new school-based custodians and four new operations managers who travel between schools.

Totoraitis said the city recently learned it will receive more federal money for efforts related to lead. Specifically, the Milwaukee Health Department is expecting funding that is targeted at lead abatement efforts in the city's older homes, as well as a new round of screening clinics for children.

The health department expects to have more details about both of those efforts next month.