Skeptical MPS board member holds town hall on $252 million referendum

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- During a town hall Thursday night to discuss next week's vote on a $252 million referendum for Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), Aisha Carr, one of the district's nine board directors, used two words to describe her view of the situation: Gross mismanagement.

Carr hosted town hall events Wednesday and Thursday at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society to share her concerns about the district's framing of its financial position.

She pointed to the district's number approximately 4,060 budgeted teacher positions, which compared to current enrollment of about 68,000, is at a nearly 15-to-1 ratio. In her view, that has led to overdone staffing at some of the district's low-enrollment schools.

"That in and of itself, when you're talking about tracking the dollars, that in and of itself, shows it's not necessarily a funding issue that we have," Carr said. "It's gross mismanagement."

MPS officials have said the district will face a $200 million shortfall next year if the referendum fails. They blame a lack of state funding, which has not kept up with inflation dating back to 2009.

Overall, 90 school districts across Wisconsin have opted for a referendum this year in hopes of raising their state-imposed property tax limit.

At the same time, MPS' total spending per-student, which includes federal aid, places the district 30th among the 100 biggest U.S. school districts, despite having the 49th-highest enrollment.

In January, seven of the board's nine directors voted to place the referendum on the April 2 ballot. Missy Zombor is among those who voted 'yes,' and she said it was vital to ensure there was enough funding to keep the progress made after an $87 million referendum passed in 2020.

That funding allowed for expanded art, gym, library and music programming across the district. She said that includes her son's school, Neeskara Elementary, which previously didn't have an art or music teacher.

"That school has an art teacher. It has a music teacher. Those students have those opportunities," Zombor said. "The plan is working. That's what I would say."

District leaders have said if the referendum fails, MPS will cut each school's budget by 13% and slash its central office by 26%.

Critics of the referendum have said MPS has not laid out a clear enough plan for how another $252 million will improve classroom results. The 2022-23 Department of Public Instruction state report card showed 52% of MPS students perform at 'below basic' level in reading while 64% are 'below basic' in math.

That includes the region's biggest business lobby, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, which has spent heavily on a campaign for people to vote no, but it also includes the Greater Milwaukee Committee, whose president, Joel Brennan, previously served as secretary of administration for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

Evers told CBS 58 Thursday he supports the MPS referendum.

Former superintendent: Consolidate schools first

Bill Andrekopoulos, who served as MPS superintendent from 2002 to 2010, has come out in opposition to the referendum. In an interview Thursday, he said the ask was too great, especially during a year in which a new city sales tax and raised county sales tax took effect.

The referendum would raise property taxes by $2.16 for every $100 of assessed value, so a family that owns a $200,000 house would see its property tax bill rise by $432 per year.

"With all these other taxes being added on, now we're asking for a significant increase in property tax," he said.

Andrekopoulos said the district should have first closed schools to create a new facilities footprint more in line with its current enrollment, which has dropped by 31.5% since 2004, according to analysis by the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum.

Currently, dozens of the district's schools have enrollment totals well below their building's capacity. According to a building inventory report MPS is required to give the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee, 36 schools have an enrollment number than is than 70% of capacity.

23 schools are operating at less than 60% of their buildings' capacity, and at least 14 schools are less than half-full.

"Closing schools is really about reallocating your resources to maximize how you're spending money and improving the quality of education," Andrekopoulos said. "Because that's really what this is all about."

Superintendent Keith Posley told CBS 58 last month the district cannot afford to wait for the conclusion of its long-term facilities study, which is expected to be done in October.

Posley also said the annual savings from closing schools would be minimal, ranging from $300,000 for elementary schools to $1 million for high schools. Andrekopoulos said he believed that was an underestimate. 

Zombor said she was opposed to the idea of closing schools, and when asked if it would need to eventually happen, said the board would need to have extensive discussions with the public first.

"Not one person, when I was campaigning and asking them what they wanted to see the district do, asked me to close schools," she said.

State law allows school boards to approve up to two referendum resolutions per year. MPS has put just this one referendum on the April ballot, so if it fails, the district could ask voters again in November.