Braving extreme heat warnings June 23, about 30 people filed past industrial fans in the hallways of James Madison High School to gather with Brenda Cassellius, the new superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools.
It was the first of 10 events on Cassellius’ “Listen and Learn Tour” that will be hosted at different schools throughout the summer.
The events are open to anyone but most of the attendees June 23 were MPS staff, who spent about an hour sharing ideas for the district as Cassellius mostly listened.
“We may not have a full huge standing crowd but I can tell you, the words that you’re going to give and the information you’re going to share with me today is incredibly valuable,” Cassellius said.
Attendees encouraged Cassellius to offer more opportunities for both staff and families to share their experiences.
“I feel like we’re overlooked a lot,” said Ty-Asia Love, a safety assistant for MPS. “We’re the frontline of the school but we’re always the ones that get overlooked or thrown under the bus. Nobody comes to us and asks us what we feel like could be different. And we see a lot.”
MPS staff call for more consistent staffing levels, resources
Tresha Patton, a library coach who trains MPS school librarians, asked Cassellius to consider budgeting for librarians at all MPS schools. Currently, schools that only serve students through fifth grade do not automatically get even a part-time librarian — and budget documents show most of those 40 schools haven’t found room for librarians in their budgets.
Patton was making a point that Cassellius herself and many others have also raised — that staffing is inconsistent across the district.
In a recent review of the district’s academic performance, MGT of America Consulting noted: “Multiple staff members described a ‘haves and have-nots’ system and indicated that the district does not do enough to balance resources.” Some have called for an equity audit.
James Madison — serving a relatively high population of Black students, students from lower-income families and students with disabilities — had more unfilled staff positions than most schools according to February data. The school was missing two core teachers, an art teacher, a paraprofessional aide and a secretary, according to MPS data shared with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Jacques Lake, a special education teacher at James Madison, said the school has been short-handed, leaving him responsible for supporting the special education needs of 30 students.
Jessica Mendez, Community Schools Coordinator at South Division High School, called for “balanced investment” across the district “so each neighborhood school could be a student’s first choice.” She said students come to her school from over seven miles away.
Cassellius said she wants to look more closely at what services and staffing can be guaranteed for every school, such as librarians like Patton mentioned, but she warned that without more state funding, adding something requires subtracting something else.
“It’s like, if we did do libraries, then what else would have to go?” Cassellius said. “Those are the trade-offs.”
Cassellius said she expects to need to cut about $100 million in her next budget plan, for the 2026-27 school year, if there aren’t significant changes in state funding.
Cassellius avoided major cuts in most areas of her budget plan for the upcoming school year, though she controversially eliminated about 40 specialized teaching jobs. The budget was cushioned by a voter-approved referendum to raise taxes for MPS. It also relies, like previous years, on the expectation that hundreds of MPS staff positions will be unfilled.
Casselllius seeks feedback on MPS school buildings, which face possible closures
Another issue immediately confronting Cassellius is the state of the district’s school buildings, which on average are over 80 years old and have over $250 million worth of maintenance needs that have been put off over the years.
The issue was present at James Madison June 23, when temperatures in Milwaukee reached over 90 degrees. The school was built in 1966, reported nearly $8 million in deferred maintenance needs last year, and has only partial air conditioning. Only about one in five MPS buildings have full air conditioning.
Emily Castle, who works for a state college-prep program at two MPS schools, said the heat is a regular issue.
“I simply can’t breathe, like I have to wear a shirt like I’m wearing right now and bring a stick of deodorant to my schools, because I cannot, as an adult, even, take the heat,” Castle said, wearing a tank top.
Sharonda Robinson, the coordinator for the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme at Stuart School, asked Cassellius to consider supporting more schools in updating their cement areas to more natural materials. She said students have been asking for green space and a calm outdoor area where they can read. Robinson said school staff have applied multiple times to get grants but haven’t received them.
As Cassellius looks to improve conditions in school buildings while needing to cut costs, she has said MPS will likely need to merge and close some schools where student populations have waned. An outside firm, Perkins Eastman, is under contract through January to help district leaders make those decisions under their long-range facilities master plan.
At the moment, Cassellius is focused on another facilities problem: the deterioration of hazardous lead-based paint throughout the district, which is made worse in high heat. She plans to invest about $19 million on lead stabilization over the next school year.
How to attend Cassellius’ listening tour
MPS students, guardians, staff and community members can register to attend Cassellius’ listening tour at mpsmke.com/listenlearntour.
Registrants can request child care and interpretation services.
The sessions begin at 6 p.m. on the following dates:
Those who want to share feedback can also email comm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us.
Contact Rory Linnane at rory.linnane@jrn.com. Follow her on X at @RoryLinnane.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MPS Superintendent Cassellius launches listening tour. Here’s how to attend.
Reporting by Rory Linnane, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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