04/10/2026
"Today, I am here as an MPS parent, representing MPS Parents 4 A Fair Budget - a campaign representing parents who trust Milwaukee Public Schools with their children every single day - and who are increasingly concerned about the direction this district is going.
What we are seeing right now is not just a budget problem. It is a leadership problem. Because when you strip away the language of “alignment” and “strategy,” what’s actually happening in our schools is simple:
Our kids are losing support. They are losing art teachers. They are losing music and physical education.
They are losing counselors, paraprofessionals, and health aides. These are the people our children rely on - not just to learn, but to feel safe, supported, and seen. At the same time, we are watching money continue to flow away from classrooms - into central office expansion and outside consultants. So we have to ask, plainly: How does cutting student support make our schools stronger? How does removing trusted adults from buildings help our children succeed? It doesn’t. And parents know it.
We also need to address what we are hearing from district leadership - because it does not match what families are experiencing on the ground. We are being told that no classroom staff are being cut. We know that is not true. At Golda Meir School for instance we are losing 5 paraprofessionals, a reading specialist, and a 3rd grade teacher. These are classroom positions. We have been told important support staff are being preserved. Our school is losing .5 FTE psychologist and an assistant principal. And our school is not alone. Our children are losing the very teachers and staff they depend on every day. You can label these positions however you want on paper - but in real life, in our schools, these are vital student supports. And they are being taken away.
We are also being told that class sizes will go down because assistant principals will move into
teaching roles. This assumes these positions will actually be filled in a district that already struggles with
vacancies. It assumes assistant principals who are being displaced will apply for those roles - and stay -
moving into different school communities while ignoring realities concerning specific licenses
and credentials that may not translate into the open positions. And it ignores the critical role assistant principals play in maintaining safety, stability, and daily operations in our schools. This is not a real solution. It is a short-term talking point that creates long-term instability.
This administration is not solving the staffing problem - they are shifting it. They are not reducing class sizes - they are making a promise they cannot guarantee. And they are not strengthening schools - they are destabilizing them. We are also being told there has been “collaboration.” But parents, educators, and school communities are being asked to approve decisions without enough information, without enough time, and without real influence. That is not collaboration. We have been shut out. And when families are shut out, bad decisions get made. We are seeing that play out right now through a chaotic budgeting process that is forcing schools to make cuts without clear guidance, without transparency, and without a real plan. Let’s be clear about what that means for families: It means larger class sizes - not smaller ones. It means fewer adults in the building. It means less support for students with the highest needs. And it means more instability in the schools our children depend on.
At the same time, the district is refusing to fully invest in the staff we still have - denying a full cost-of-living adjustment in the middle of a staffing crisis. As parents, we know this makes no sense. If we cannot retain educators, how do we maintain stable schools? If we cannot stabilize schools, how do our children succeed?
We are also deeply concerned about how decisions are being made - especially when it comes to large consultant contracts that lack transparency and meaningful oversight. Public dollars should be going to students - not to processes that families cannot see, question, or trust.
This is about priorities. Right now, the message families are receiving is this:
Classrooms can absorb the cuts. Students can absorb the loss. Families can absorb the disruption. We reject that. Our children are not line items. Their support systems are not optional. And our voices are not an afterthought. That is why we are calling on the School Board to act immediately and stop rubber stamping
this administration’s agenda.
• Call a special meeting this month.
• Reverse the cuts to frontline staff.
• Provide a full cost-of-living adjustment to retain educators.
• Pause this broken budgeting process.
• And restore transparency, accountability, and real collaboration.
Because at the end of the day, this is not complicated. Strong schools require stable staff. Stable staff require responsible leadership. And responsible leadership starts with putting students first. We are calling on the board to defend our communities and our schools. Be our voice. Act now. Thank you."
Send a letter in support of workers today: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-the-mps-school-board-cut-contracts-not-classrooms/
