MPS lists 14 schools up next for lead response
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) administrators have laid out their plan for which schools are on deck in the district's response to dangerous lead levels being found in several schools.
In the administration's first formal update under its lead action plan, Superintendent Brenda Cassellius and the district's facilities staff said preparations have begun for remediation at 14 schools.
A total of nine schools closed at various times this year after the discovery of elevated lead levels. Work is now finished at seven of those schools: Trowbridge, Maryland Avenue, Kagel, Golda Meir, Fernwood, Starms Early Childhood and LaFollette.
Work is still ongoing at the two remaining schools, Brown Street Academy and Westside Academy.
Tuesday's presentation for the school board outlined the 14 schools up next for remediation, and the administration said prep work was underway at those locations:
- ALBA
- Auer Ave.
- Forest Home
- French Immersion
- Hartford
- Hayes
- Humboldt Park
- Longfellow
- MacDowell
- Mitchell
- Riley
- Siefert
- Townsend
- Vieau
Those schools are considered to the in the "Phase 1" portion of the district's action plan. MPS then put 31 schools into phases two and three and said prep work will begin at those schools in July and August. The district did not identify which schools composed that group.
From there, 52 schools remain that were built after 1950. The presentation indicated disruptions should be minimal in those buildings with "limited renovation required." District leaders have previously said their goal is to clear those buildings by the end of 2025.
A breakdown of the work required to mitigate each school indicated it would take about a month-and-a-half of work to complete the process of remediating a school. The outlined 43-day process includes decluttering, moving around items, cleaning, painting, a final clean and then inspection by the Milwaukee Health Department (MHD).
MPS administrators said, so far, they've thrown out more than 400,000 pounds of outdated materials and furniture at Phase 1 schools and have recycled more than 20,000 pounds of materials in those buildings.
"That equaled 31 truckloads of materials that had to be disposed of, and that's only the first 14," MPS Interim Facilities Director Mike Turza said.
The update also noted the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), along with city health officials, have approved MPS' protocol for clearing buildings.
Turza also notified the board MPS learned on June 10 the DHS was fining the district for noncompliance with the rules for lead remediation. He added there were 13 fines, and seven of them came under previous facilities leadership.
"Most of them- not most of them, all of them were individual instances of improper work practices that were quickly corrected," Turza said. "And also, even one that we improperly notified them of work to be done."
The district's previous facilities director, Sean Kane, was fired back in early April. Days earlier, Kane was fined by the state for lying about being a registered architect, a requirement for the job.
During Tuesday's meeting, Turza did not share the cost of the new DHS fines, and no board members asked follow-up questions about the matter.
Cassellius' proposed $1.5 billion budget also includes funding for five environmental inspectors. The MPS board scheduled a public hearing for the budget Tuesday night, and the board is set to vote on approving the budget next Tuesday, June 24.