Milwaukee Public Schools Would Dissolve Under WI Republican Proposal

WISCONSIN — Milwaukee Public Schools would be broken up into smaller districts in a proposal announced by state Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) on Friday.

The school district would be dissolved in 2024 and turned into four to eight small public school districts inside Milwaukee, Wisconsin Public Radio reported. A commission made up of the governor, the mayor of Milwaukee and the state superintendent would draw boundaries for the new districts.

Other measures included in the package include expanding top performing charter schools and setting up a commission to allow new independent charter schools across the state.

Darling called the overhaul of the state's school system "an opportunity to build on our reputation and reclaim our status as a national model for reforming K-12 education." The COVID-19 pandemic and parental involvement exposed a need for reform, she said in a statement.

But the state superintendent, Jill Underly, called the proposals disingenuous and detached from the needs of students, families and educators, who have all suffered under the pandemic in Wisconsin.

"They do nothing to help public schools and instead will cause great harm," Underly added.

Milwaukee School Board President Bob Peterson told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that splitting the school district up would be "disastrous" for families who rely on the district for education and other forms of support, like meals.

However, former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, a high-profile Republican candidate in the race for governor, said she supported the proposal to break up MPS.

"I refuse to accept more of the status quo from the education establishment that continues to fail Milwaukee’s children," Kleefisch said in a video.

If she is elected governor, Kleefisch said she would continue the plan to dissolve the district.

It's unlikely that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers will sign the bills as long as he is governor.

Patch has reached out to state Sen. Darling and Milwaukee Public Schools administrators for comment.