The union representing Milwaukee Public Schools teachers is calling on district officials to reverse recently announced job cuts and pause the superintendent’s budgeting process.
Ingrid Walker-Henry, president of the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association, told reporters April 6 the district’s current plan is “destabilizing school communities and eroding trust.” Representatives of parent and student groups also denounced the layoffs, saying the cuts strip schools of staff who provide critical support to students.
On March 24, the district told 201 employees that their jobs will end after this school year. The layoffs were previously approved by the Milwaukee School Board on March 9.
MPS is cutting about 260 jobs total, some of which were already vacant and others come from retirements, officials said. The cuts are part of Superintendent Brenda Cassellius’ plan to close the district’s $46 million budget gap, which financial auditors uncovered this winter.
Cassellius said she expects the cuts will save MPS about $30 million.
In a letter sent to the Milwaukee School Board on April 6, the teachers union and other groups called on the board to hold a special meeting this month to halt the job cuts and delay budgeting decisions, among other demands.
“We’re calling on them to slow this down and to make it a real process that actually includes our students, our families and our workers, so that the decisions being made are not going to hurt the school communities,” Walker-Henry said.
In an interview, Cassellius said the district is following a budget timeline required under law. Any delays “would cause greater confusion and challenge,” she said.
Nadine Digman, a representative of MPS Parents 4 a Fair Budget, said she is particularly concerned that schools are losing teachers and others who work directly with students.
“Our children are not line items. Their support systems are not optional, and our voices are not an afterthought,” Digman said. “That is why we are calling on the School Board to act immediately and stop rubber stamping this administration’s agenda.”
District officials said no classroom positions are included in the layoffs. However, Cassellius said some teachers may be reassigned to different schools next year as part of an annual staffing allocation process based on projected enrollments.
The number of paraprofessionals may also be reduced next school year, but the district is seeking funding to cover those positions, said MPS spokesperson Tony Tagliavia.
Most heavily, the cuts include 59 assistant principals and nine deans. Under new “standard of care” guidelines from Cassellius, assistant principals will generally be assigned only to schools with at least 350 students. About 85 assistant principals will remain on staff, officials said.
Cassellius said smaller schools have run overstaffed and over the years have received additional money through referendums or pandemic funding to cover assistant principal positions.
“We just don’t have those resources now to have that same luxury,” she said.
Kristen Payne, a parent of a student at Golda Meir School, said the assistant principal at Golda Meir is among those who will lose her job. In an interview, Payne criticized the new guidelines for assistant principal assignments, saying they fail to take into account schools that operate across multiple buildings, such as Golda Meir.
Payne, who also serves on the district’s School Engagement Council, said some parents on the council refused to sign on to MPS’ budget plan when they learned of the changes last month.
“It’s telling that parents, students, teachers and frontline workers are all coming out against the budget,” she said. “I really am concerned that this is going to make it harder to attract and retain high-quality staff and teachers, and this is going to be very disruptive to the long-term health of MPS.”
Cassellius said the cuts are necessary to address the district’s deficit. The process, she said, has included “a lot of transparency that I don’t think has been done before.”
In addition to the layoffs, Tagliavia said the district is reviewing its contracts with outside vendors and has already identified a target of $5 million to $10 million in savings.
“We’ll continue to provide more and more information to the public as it becomes available,” Cassellius said. “We’re trying to find as many efficiencies as we can.”
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: Teachers, parents demand reversal of Milwaukee Public Schools layoffs
Reporting by Kayla Huynh, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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