MPS superintendent says there is no timeline for closing or merging schools

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- There is now no timeline for when Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) will begin closing or merging some of its buildings.

Superintendent Brenda Cassellius told CBS 58 reporter A.J. Bayatpour earlier this week the district still plans to bring a set of recommendations to the community. However, she does not have an estimate for when that will happen. 

Nine months ago, outside consultants hired by the district identified five or six schools as ones that make the most sense to either close to merge due to under-enrollment, building condition and proximity to other MPS schools. 

Cassellius says the completing MPS' work on a long-term facilities plan has been held up by a focus on fixing the finance office.

"I think it's gonna take a while to have those conversations with the community," Cassellius said. "Just because it took a little longer to get our fiscal health in order and to get on top of all our finances over the past three years."

More than a dozen MPS schools have an enrollment that is less than half of the building's capacity. 

Any attempt to close schools will be met with opposition from the teachers' union, the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA) and other community groups who claim it would be racist to close any buildings in predominately Black neighborhoods.

Cassellius acknowledged it's a sensitive subject Thursday. The district has over-enrolled schools on the south side while all of its buildings with extremely low enrollment are on the north side.

"You wanna make sure the schools you're choosing aren't just in one neighborhood," Cassellius said. "And there's no one community that bears the burden of that decision. You wanna make sure you have good choice and enrollment patterns."

Cassellius says the district will also want to have plans in place to sell or re-purpose any schools that eventually close. She said that will include pushing for the Legislature to change a state law that currently requires MPS to wait two years before selling any of its buildings.

Republicans under former Gov. Scott Walker passed the law with hopes it would force MPS to sell closed schools to charter and private school operators.

However, with declining birthrates across the state, it's unlikely there'd be a robust market for other operators to buy MPS buildings.

Cassellius estimated closing MPS schools would save the district between $1 million and $3 million per year, per school. She said right-sizing the district would also provide an academic benefit as teachers and staff could be consolidated in buildings, ensuring more schools have a full set of art, music and gym teachers.

"Bringing recommendations is something I'm committed to doing," she said. "But it's probably going to take a little longer than what I thought it would take just because I want to have genuine conversations with the community."