Leaders of the Milwaukee Reading Coalition say a key part of their initiative is in jeopardy after the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction said state literacy funding cannot be directed to the group’s proposed commission.
The Milwaukee Reading Coalition had planned to create a formal commission that would distribute state and private funding for Milwaukee’s public, charter and private schools to train kindergarten through third-grade educators in literacy instruction. Howard Fuller, the group’s co-chair, said schools would need to apply and meet rigorous requirements to receive the money.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who is part of the group’s leadership committee, said in a May 18 letter to state Superintendent Jill Underly that the commission needed her support to move forward.
But Underly said the DPI’s responsibility is to “award funds in the way the legislature mandated to support the requirements of Act 20,” the state’s 2023 literacy law. State lawmakers have provided about $50 million in funding for schools to implement changes required under the law, such as reading coaches, professional development and training for school staff in the “science of reading,” which focuses on phonics instruction.
“The legislature assumed these costs would be incurred by schools, with the department reimbursing them for a portion or all those costs,” Underly told the mayor in a May 26 letter. “The legislature did not authorize the DPI, or any of its partners, to forward fund a program like the Milwaukee Reading Commission is describing.”
That guidance contradicted previous assurances from the DPI that funding for the proposed commission would be possible, said Fuller, a former Milwaukee Public Schools superintendent and founder of a network of voucher schools.
He said he feels misled after the coalition worked for nearly a year to meet the DPI’s requirements.
“It’s atrocious, given the magnitude of the literacy problem we have in the City of Milwaukee,” Fuller said. “There’s no urgency.”
Coalition leaders wrote to the DPI on June 1, saying they had drafted a bill last year “that would have explicitly authorized DPI to support entities such as the Milwaukee Reading Commission with new funding.” Fuller said the group stopped pursuing the bill after DPI officials told members last summer it was unnecessary because the agency would be able to direct existing literacy grant funding to the commission.
In a statement, DPI spokesperson Chris Bucher said the agency has consistently engaged with the coalition and informed members about funding delays and timelines, as well as Act 20’s reimbursement requirements and the steps required before outside groups could become involved.
“Additionally, any programs that expand Act 20 require a detailed implementation plan and approval that includes a legislative process,” he said. “[The Milwaukee Reading Coalition] is explicitly aware of all these challenges.”
Underly said DPI is working to ensure schools receive the reimbursements promised under Act 20.
“While we continue to reimburse schools, there is nothing standing in the way of the Milwaukee Reading Commission partnering with schools to support Act 20 implementation,” she said.
Underly suggested “finding creative solutions” to provide support to private schools that are ineligible for reimbursement because they requested to be exempt from Act 20 requirements. She also said the department may consider additional literacy initiatives if funding remains after schools are reimbursed.
“We do not want to turn any resources back as the need across Wisconsin to improve reading remains great,” she said.
The Milwaukee Reading Coalition launched last year to improve literacy outcomes in Milwaukee’s public, charter and private schools. Educational, political and nonprofit leaders across sectors are involved, and the proposed commission includes MPS’ academic superintendent for literacy.
On early literacy assessments last school year, over half of 4-year-old kindergartners through third-graders in MPS scored below the 25th percentile nationally. For third- through eighth-graders, about three-quarters of MPS students failed to reach proficiency in English language arts on a separate statewide Forward Exam. About the same percentage scored below expectations on the reading portion of the exam.
For students in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, which subsidizes the cost for low-income students to attend private schools, about 70% failed to meet grade-level standards in English language arts.
Colleston Morgan, who is part of the coalition and runs the school advocacy group City Forward Collective, said the group wanted to create a public-private partnership to better leverage the state’s investment in Act 20.
“The idea is to make both the state and private dollars go further through partnership on an unprecedented scale,” he said. “It’s incredibly disappointing, incredibly frustrating and perhaps unsurprising that the state Department of Public Instruction cannot find a way to get to ‘yes.'”
The commission planned to use public funding designated for Milwaukee, along with private dollars, to support science-of-reading training for educators. Schools would be required to meet specific standards to receive funding, and educators who completed the training would be eligible for $1,500 stipends.
Fuller said the coalition had already met the DPI’s directives to carry out the program. He said members followed their guidance in raising private money to blend with state funding and recruiting an executive director to oversee the commission.
“To not use this is insane,” he said. “We’re going to leave the door open in hopes that DPI will reconsider. We built everything because of the assurances that we got from them.”
The DPI will continue to seek partnerships helping kids learn to read, Bucher said.
“If resources remain available after those requirements are met, the DPI is open to exploring innovative, transparent, and accountable approaches,” Bucher said. “A delay is not a denial when it comes to implementing this law.”
Kayla Huynh covers K-12 education, teachers and solutions for the Journal Sentinel. Contact: khuynh@gannett.com. Follow her on X: @_kaylahuynh.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Reading Coalition plans on hold after state DPI cites limits
Reporting by Kayla Huynh, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Kayla Huynh, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
