Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett faced the public to discuss his attempt to take over the Milwaukee Public Schools and hire the next superintendent and appoint board members.
Thursday’s Riverside University High School forum featured MPS takeover supporters Barrett and state Department of Administration Secretary Michael Morgan, as well as MPS takeover opponents state Rep. Tamara Grigsby (D-Milwaukee) and MPS board director Larry Miller.
Audience reaction favored the takeover opponents, with Barrett’s supporters concentrated in one portion of the auditorium.
Barrett reiterated the need for a sweeping overhaul of the way MPS operates so that every MPS student receives a quality education. He cited his conversations with the appointed heads of public schools in New York and Washington, D.C., and data from those districts as proof that mayoral takeovers work.
Barrett admitted that criteria for the federal “Race to the Top” dollars do not require mayoral takeover of a school district.
But Barrett said that Secretary of Education Arne Duncana former appointed head of the Chicago schoolsis a “major proponent” of mayor-led districts, which is why the mayor thinks a takeover in Milwaukee would aid Wisconsin’s chances for the funds.
Grigsby and Miller rebutted Barrett’s assertions about the benefits of mayoral takeovers.
Grigsby said the takeover was a “superficial leadership change” that will do nothing to address core issues that affect education, such as poverty, the crime rate and teen pregnancy.
Instead of taking over the district to chase after one-time “Race to the Top” dollars, MPS board member Miller said long-term solutions could be found closer to home through more support from the state, county and city.
MPS is penalized by the state’s “fundamentally flawed” funding formula, Miller said, which penalizes districts that don’t tax to the max and doesn’t keep up with inflation.
“On top of the state funding problems, the city and county make us a scapegoat for their financial woes,” Miller said.
For example, Miller said, even though MPS is the largest purchaser of public transit, Milwaukee County only discounts student passes by 6%, while districts around the country typically receive a 25%-50% discount, according to the McKinsey Co. audit of MPS.
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Setting the Stage for a PR Blitz?
Perhaps the most puzzling exchange came when Grigsby charged that money was being raised to promote the takeover effort.
“I also want to ask why we are raising thousands upon thousands of dollars for a campaign for this issue when our kids don’t even have textbooks,” Grigsby said.
Barrett denied any money was being raised and the issue was dropped at the forum. Barrett Chief of Staff Patrick Curley did not return a call seeking comment for this article.
In an interview with the Shepherd on Tuesday, Grigsby said multiple sources have told her that money was being raised from the business community for a PR campaign to win public support for the takeover.
“There’s a strong business interest in seeing this takeover happen,” she said.
Charlie Dee, executive vice president of AFT-Local 212, said $90,000 has been raised from the business community for a media campaign and to hire a community organizer. He blasted the effort as an “Astroturf” campaign to make the takeover seem like a popular “grassroots” effort with voters.
In contrast to the alleged under-the-radar PR campaign to support Barrett’s plans, the Coalition to Stop the MPS Takeover, a group of 20 allied community organizations and local leaders, was launched. Members include the Milwaukee branch of the NAACP, the Educators’ Network for Social Justice, MICAH, AFT Local 212, Voces de la Frontera, Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, SEIU Local 150, Alderman Tony Zielinski, and many more.
But the clock is ticking on a takeover attempt. Takeover advocates don’t have much time left to present and pass a bill in the state Legislature to change MPS governance. Just a few weeks remain in this year’s fall legislative session and next year there is just a spring floor period, and a bill hasn’t been introduced yet.
The first “Race to the Top” deadline application is in December; a second grant opportunity will be available in June 2010.
At the same time the takeover challenge is heating up, the MPS board-led national search for a new superintendent is under way, with an application deadline of Nov. 19. The final candidates are expected to be announced in January 2010. MPS Superintendent William Andrekopoulos is retiring on July 1, 2010. Barrett would like to appoint his successor, who would then report back to the mayor.
