Threat to Dissolve MPS a Cheap Stunt

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett seems pleased that he got Madison's attention.

He also got national attention -- more bad publicity for Milwaukee. I can't believe Barrett wanted that. Not good.

The Milwaukee Public School Board voting to explore the possibility of dissolving the Milwaukee Public System was a dramatic ploy, but it was a reckless, irresponsible, selfish one, needlessly sending parents and employees into a panic.

Jim Doyle, the self-proclaimed "education governor," wants to study MPS.

Gov. Jim Doyle called Friday for “a complete evaluation of exactly where MPS is” as a first step toward any action by state government to do more for Milwaukee schools or change the way the school system is run.

“The School Board has really opened this up now,” Doyle said, referring to a surprising 6-3 vote by Milwaukee School Board members Thursday night in favor of exploring the dissolving of Milwaukee Public Schools, which is under financial pressure. Such a step might leave responsibility for Milwaukee schools in the state’s lap.

“I take this vote very seriously by the board and, if they are moving in this direction at all, it can only be done through state law,” Doyle said in an interview. “I think we need — everybody needs — to have a good clear understanding of where exactly the Milwaukee schools are.”

Where has Doyle been?

Is he so detached from the largest school system in the state that he isn't aware of where MPS students rank nationally on a number of different measures?

During his 2006 campaign, Doyle actually claimed that Wisconsin has the best public schools in the country.

Apparently, a lot has changed since 2006.

Mayor Tom Barrett weighs in:

“I don’t see the Milwaukee Public Schools system dissolving,” Barrett said in an interview, “and I think parents should know that. I don’t want parents to think that somehow their schools are going to be changed overnight in some dramatic fashion.”

...But MPS Superintendent William Andrekopoulos and many board members say a decline in that percentage is a key factor behind current financial pressure on the schools. Some board members have discussed suing the state for more money. Andrekopoulos said at the meeting Thursday that he had not seen much evidence that state leaders or people statewide favored doing more for MPS.

Barrett said the Thursday vote sends “a very, very strong message to Madison that this is a system that is under a lot of stress.”

I think the vote sends a very, very strong message that MPS is failing and the majority on the School Board and Andrekopoulos have no idea how to reform it.

The vote points out that Barrett and Doyle have not worked together in an effective manner to rectify problems with MPS.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a Q&A on MPS board vote.

Q.What would it mean to dissolve MPS?

A. That's not clear. Someone would run public schools in Milwaukee - the state, City Hall or maybe a new form of one or more school districts.

Q.Would it be legal?

A. Not as of now, according to the state Department of Public Instruction. Milwaukee is in a legal class by itself under state law and can't dissolve a school district the way every other place in the state could. By the way, there's one small district, Wausaukee in northeastern Wisconsin, that is considering dissolving.

Q.Is dissolution what the School Board really wants?

A. Definitely not - at least not yet, and not a majority of the board. The 6-3 vote called for MPS administrators to look into what would be involved in dissolving the district and did not take a stand on whether such a step would be a good idea. Some board members see this as a way to put pressure on the state to do more for MPS.

Q.So why make a big fuss over this?

A. Just the notion of dissolving MPS sets off a lot of strong reactions, from employees wondering about their jobs or pensions to movers and shakers taking more seriously the possibility of making fundamental changes in the way MPS is run.

So, what it would mean to dissolve MPS is unclear, it's an illegal move, and the School Board doesn't really want to dissolve it.

In short, the vote was just a cheap stunt that caused undue stress for parents and MPS employees.

Q.Is anything really going to change?

A. Not any time soon, other than a decision on the budget and tax levy for next year. But a lot of talk is under way. And there is wide agreement on the School Board that, separate from talk of dissolving or anything else, major changes need to be made in how MPS does business, with issues such as busing, school closings and cuts in central office likely to get intense attention in coming months.

Yes, it was a very cheap stunt and an irresponsible move. Are Doyle and Barrett really so deaf and blind that the School Board thought this was the only way to get their attention?

In the Journal Sentinel today, the Editorial Board writes:

A vote by the Milwaukee School Board Thursday night to begin looking into dissolving Milwaukee Public Schools sends the message that the system cannot survive in its current form.

Essentially, the School Board has cast a no-confidence vote in the way MPS is set up. And even if that vote is nothing more than a symbolic protest of the system's financial bind, it is, at least, a step in the right direction. After all, you have to acknowledge that you have a problem before you can properly address it.

MPS has been failing for YEARS.

Too bad reformers haven't been allowed to take the reins long ago and make dramatic changes. The fact is there has been a relentless war waged against reformers.

I don't see the Board's "symbolic protest" as a step in the right direction. I see it as a sign of incompetence on the part of the Board and negligence on the part of Barrett and Doyle.

Eugene Kane writes:

It’s disheartening to realize the School Board has either decided to govern through fear by alarming parents, students and employees, or is seriously thinking about blowing up MPS in favor of something yet to be determined.

It’s time to consider innovative changes, renewed strategies for success and alternative funding sources for MPS, but dissolving the school district doesn’t seem like a good solution for thousands of students who depend on a stable educational system.

Such calls that it's time to consider innovative changes, renewed strategies for success, and alternative funding sources for MPS are long, long, long overdue.

I don't see any chance for reform on the horizon, no real changes.

It's like violence in Milwaukee and promises to turn things around, the endless wake-up calls and last straws. It's not enough to want change. People have to make it happen.