[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6191837,"mediaKeyId","4410666-e14ae2713941f792b743f6426901e56f","parentId",4410666,"title","Teachers, parents and advocates challenge staffing cuts and call for clarity at Milwaukee School District FY2026 budget hearing","audioSeconds",912,"startMs",1496505,"endMs",2408765,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=4410666-e14ae2713941f792b743f6426901e56f&start=1496&end=2408","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/4410666-e14ae2713941f792b743f6426901e56f/thumbnail_1496505.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6191837/Wisconsin/Teachers-parents-and-advocates-challenge-staffing-cuts-and-call-for-clarity-at-Milwaukee-School-District-FY2026-budget-hearing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6191837-f5c79190c7c548ef6628f9ff009dd7ef/orig.mp4?Expires=1776050259&Signature=gIH~XsqiDmi7LClNs3vEfQ54Ut-RNiqgmTYkOip5g2E9FsxKcdSGvk9zIPW7rBaOaXFQFj-rqm~ECPGaMOARaHZuD~y1cAUjEAD8UTb74o3YPRNxoFjDSpTWTUdttDOXGL0LzJI4svBHSyI9unxoqNJAqRkvNRHkHIU2kQk3IHj07wjPz2piV2MXm~1fM-a~Ob8rtuHG9gqV7JIe3-hwyQA30NDcyovKgkoQn6dI2hs661ur3xulhhrGjTnaUlnzzsAsB1sxtDeHhFG3tqZq8Q~NUScqWs6IYicxtsT-cGK6t53MZRHyQA-WW-5v8lbjmKuXb9o4n3IOPvSjkoyIrg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Milwaukee School District, WI","date","2025-06-20T12:25:58.603Z","article","Dozens of educators and community members testified June 17 during a statutory public hearing on the Milwaukee School District's proposed fiscal 2026 budget, pressing the board to pause or reverse central-office staff “accessing” and to provide clearer school funding information.

The hearing, held in the Central Services Building auditorium and required under Wisconsin Statute 119.168, collected public testimony only; board members did not act on the superintendent's proposed budget at that meeting. The board may consider the FY2026 budget at its regular meeting on June 24, 2025.

\"This accessing cuts more than positions. It removes people who provide critical expertise and training,\" public commenter Cara Slingerland told the board. She said district training capacity has been reduced after the reapplication process, citing that of 20 COMP (classroom management program) trainers, 15 were \"accessed,\" and that 19 of 32 LETRS (structured literacy) moderators were accessed.

\"The instructional audit ordered by Governor Evers found many systemic issues,\" public commenter Robin Harris said, but she added that requiring hundreds of teacher-support staff to reapply for their roles has been \"messy, ineffective, and devaluing.\" Harris told the board that 181 employees had been accessed and 141 forced to reapply, remarks she used to argue the school system should review leadership layers as well as teacher-support positions.

Community members also raised school-level funding questions. \"If South Division were to receive the extra $156 per pupil for each of their 928 students, that would total nearly $145,000 or another whole teacher FTE,\" said Lucas Weir, who asked whether the district's per-pupil allocation formula for FY2026 will ensure \"systemic change for our most vulnerable students\" and whether additional centralized supports account for special education and English-learner populations.

Another speaker urged the district to dedicate new state grant money to expanded summer training to accelerate literacy instruction. Quentin Klabon recommended reserving $2 million of Governor Evers' grant for intensive summer \"master class\" training to help teachers translate LETRS coursework into classroom practice.

Speakers described delays and personnel disruptions tied to the district's human resources processes, including a public account that a bilingual counselor hired in mid-April had not yet received a signed offer months later. Several testified that critical instructional roles and equity facilitators had been included in the accessing process.

The chair reminded the audience that the hearing's purpose was to gather testimony on the superintendent's proposed FY2026 budget and that no vote would occur at the session. Written testimony remains accepted by the Office of Board Governance.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","6-17-2025 Special Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Dozens of educators and community members testified June 17 during a statutory public hearing on the Milwaukee School District's proposed fiscal 2026 budget, pressing the board to pause or reverse central-office staff “accessing” and to provide clearer school funding information.","taxTitle","Milwaukee School District, School Districts, Wisconsin","taxId",14856,"location","Wisconsin","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6191821,"District reports progress on lead action plan: seven schools cleared, stabilization under way and project manager on-site",1458,6097025,7555335,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=4410666-e14ae2713941f792b743f6426901e56f&start=6097&end=7555","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/4410666-e14ae2713941f792b743f6426901e56f/thumbnail_6097025.jpg","/articles/6191821/Wisconsin/District-reports-progress-on-lead-action-plan-seven-schools-cleared-stabilization-under-way-and-project-manager-on-site","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6191821-a0de3cde68f46123b9c537c59961df66/orig.mp4?Expires=1776050259&Signature=bOiMfHhk7kwk9EJNRypLoKH0WGEBWAQDcMV2trMY~5o0IbRrlaaJPnanoVtRTEWltyxLoRH9JBtz0TpryyrofaRrpx1XWZAVSTEAclTfYLteThG2FHe58kUKhidiSzGljbG77E7lyybJgOryDb1nauPPTJ9bxJQ-sIOsmuN-X98QlZy~OYhNaUkTyVgQLP7hYB8mwz04IpAzJToVdyYb4dYV-F9zplPiVzkc3sWLiltZX6qltr2MNP9UESEH2XrAInb5PLPe8dcc45XyMXI7YeICF46GJy6d~1nxPZTk7nuhCpNi9ocSVhuEuNtVH0kjvz1vHp4qv5k1HX2rY7biVA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Milwaukee School District officials reported June 17 that they have begun stabilizing and clearing classrooms affected by lead, have a contract construction manager on-site, and are operating a phased plan that officials said should allow the bulk of remediation to be completed before the new school year.

\"As of today, we have 7 schools that have cleared with the Milwaukee Health Department. They are Trowbridge, Maryland Avenue, Coggle, Goldenmeyer, Fernwood, Storms Early Childhood Center, and La Follette,\" interim Director of Facilities and Maintenance Services Michael Turza told the board.

Turza said the district completed visual, room-by-room inspections of all pre-1950 schools and has organized the work in phases. Two schools—Brown Street and West Side—were in active stabilization, with West Side expected to be cleared the week of June 30 and Brown Street the week of July 7, he said. The district identified 14 phase-1 schools that have been prepared (decluttered and staged) and said further phases will proceed through July and August; post‑1950 buildings generally require less intervention and can be handled after hours or on weekends, Turza said.

The board approved JCP Construction as contract manager; Turza said the firm is on-site with 14 teams (one per school for the initial phase) and that each school will be managed as a separate project to track schedule and cost. The district said it initially distributed about 9,000 boxes for decluttering and that Smurfit‑WestRock donated about 8,000 additional boxes.

Officials reported substantial disposal during the first-phase decluttering and said approximately 20,000 pounds of recyclable material were removed in addition to more than 400,000 pounds of outdated furniture and other waste from the first 14 schools. The district also reported on school-based lead-testing clinics held in partnership with the Milwaukee Health Department and Children's Hospital; clinics tested roughly 36 students at Hopkins Lloyd, 58 at Highmount and about 34 students each at West Side and Brown Academy as part of initial outreach.

Turza told the board the district has received third‑party clearance vendors approved to perform building clearance and that the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and the Milwaukee Health Department approved a building-clearance protocol to expedite clearance. The district said it received a DHS notice listing 13 non‑compliance items; seven occurred before a leadership change and the district said all items were corrected and a response to DHS would be filed by June 24.

The superintendent said the district will post an electronic dashboard showing school‑by‑school status, will train custodial and facilities staff on lead‑safe cleaning protocols by September 2025, and has received a donation of 33,219 replacement water filters from a county partner. She repeated a district contact point for reports at ledmilwaukee.k12.wi.us.

District officials said they are targeting Aug. 25 as a working completion date for the initial wave of remediation and emphasized the scale of the project: \"It is a big heavy lift,\" the superintendent said, and urged patience while the work proceeds.","Milwaukee School District officials told the board their lead action plan has seven schools cleared by the Milwaukee Health Department, hired JCP Construction as project manager with teams in the field, and set an aggressive summer timeline with a target completion date for initial remediation by Aug. 25, 2025.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6191825,"Milwaukee School District board reconsiders and adopts FY2025 budget modification; vote 6–0 with one abstention",304,5655930,5960645,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=4410666-e14ae2713941f792b743f6426901e56f&start=5655&end=5960","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/4410666-e14ae2713941f792b743f6426901e56f/thumbnail_5655930.jpg","/articles/6191825/Wisconsin/Milwaukee-School-District-board-reconsiders-and-adopts-FY2025-budget-modification-vote-60-with-one-abstention","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6191825-71ebea01d14c8c0fab5bfc4bdb32d264/orig.mp4?Expires=1776050259&Signature=Vo4Hp22xCKj~2NOem7aopCbeRHPVEGmJgLEdi126-h9TjM-wzZk2gHjeWx~4n-wOQpm8iIA0bXTpTrMe3UzIwYE9T0SEhzujTGV8ZYc-U1cRYnPRuTeyNnrAVws6dzmwUWO8-mkA6PI9I2MgepjLGtzygLX7F4~bzTFRG6BrQbpHMTZ5Dn5GHHXT7jt33WdsC3E1YT5zc9c00PVgGnwozBbB2wsebX5fjFMt3NaNUByfSGA4U-YxzpbISnL4iIndXrp8hiC4JWvjm67~AN4TxMLsRkW4nsjbxYrFUPSJv-6FO7E7vkwEmUsUVCYphqIGlUrNG~tpxGRJLGEV1SsX8Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Milwaukee School District Board of School Directors voted June 17 to reconsider its October 29, 2024 action on the FY2025 budget and then to adopt modified FY2025 budget schedules that the administration said are needed to present complete financials.

Director Seamsen moved to reconsider the board's prior FY2025 action; Director Reza seconded. The roll call on the motion to reconsider recorded ayes from Director Ferguson, Director Fonds, Director Herndon, Director Reza, Director Seamsen, Director Vannoy and President Zomber; the motion passed.

After the reconsideration, Director Seamsen moved to adopt the FY2025 budget inclusive of the budget resolutions, recommended amendments and RSI schedules for general and nutrition budgets. Director Herndon seconded. The roll call on adoption recorded six ayes and one abstention: Director Ferguson abstained; Director Fonds, Director Herndon, Director Reza, Director Seamsen, Director Vannoy and President Zomber voted aye. The motion passed 6–0 with one abstention.

Superintendent Brenda Cassellius and CFO Aitcha Sava told the board the modification is largely procedural for FY2025 financial reporting and that the new FY2026 budget book will provide line-by-line electronic detail so the administration will not need similar one-off files in the future.

The motions and results were recorded at the meeting; the board approved the requested resolutions and amended schedules to be included in the district's annual financial reports.","At a special meeting June 17 the Milwaukee School District board voted to reconsider its October 29, 2024 action on the FY2025 budget and then adopted a set of modifications and schedules. The reconsideration motion passed unanimously; the adoption passed 6 ayes, 1 abstention.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6191830,"Independent review finds Milwaukee School District investigations followed policy but recommends clearer code of ethics and broader oversight",1763,3218960,4982235,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=4410666-e14ae2713941f792b743f6426901e56f&start=3218&end=4982","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/4410666-e14ae2713941f792b743f6426901e56f/thumbnail_3218960.jpg","/articles/6191830/Wisconsin/Independent-review-finds-Milwaukee-School-District-investigations-followed-policy-but-recommends-clearer-code-of-ethics-and-broader-oversight","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6191830-1cf0ad350b5ed152bd7df57b0ed30fbb/orig.mp4?Expires=1776050259&Signature=WViwgyxc8AqL80iN2ejEcpgOSmpi0S13thhYSiP02ZG9O9Hkt4EWo4M0CSVyLkFHDNl0SPCMu86y1gxbmUH7sILkjwk~G9cIEL4c3sO8KD-tbOtzAh9ISTB5unEOpOGAlwLXoYQpvWEMnvCAEooUnVP7jPZ0G679M0K7ZA354hG57oWtfSMgKollPiBi1j2wC9v9JaZ2hV3aCgk~LWETxMLEAE7x6eY9R0rchPBqqOnFZmNHXE6ufwgJVxMbvop6JnnysXe5TV4BGQItyfM12yuoPuZDZnUD2LGUxpZkci~3eB422zsogfsq5RE63QkBWFpt6bEQVsR~OEiZy8umKg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","An independent review of the Milwaukee School District's fraud, waste and abuse (FWA) procedures found that investigators generally adhered to existing policies but that the district should consolidate policy language and strengthen checks and balances, presenters told the board June 17.

Tom Rumpf of Rumpf Associates said the firm sampled 167 hotline tips submitted between Jan. 1, 2022 and April 2, 2025; it reviewed a random sample of 36 tips and detailed reviews of 20 completed investigations. \"All the investigations that we sampled adhered to the existing policies and procedures,\" Rumpf said, while adding that the policies themselves are fragmented across several administrative procedures and an employee handbook.

Rumpf presented four priority findings: develop and implement a comprehensive, consolidated code of ethics; formally involve other functional areas (legal, HR, finance and others) in investigations when appropriate; improve how completed investigations are reported to the board while preserving whistleblower confidentiality; and modify the audit committee charter so FWA reporting is coordinated with the Committee on Accountability, Finance and Personnel.

Paul Geib, the district's chief auditor, and Matt Chasen of the Office of Accountability and Efficiency thanked the reviewers and said the office will work to implement the recommendations. Board members who spoke said the report confirmed a need to change policy language and to shift culture away from a punitive posture toward clearer guidance and routine training.

The item was presented for information; no board action was required at the meeting. Rumpf recommended regular training on the code of ethics for all employees, periodic refreshers, and formal mechanisms to ensure the board receives context on investigations without compromising confidentiality.","Rumpf Associates told the Milwaukee School District board its review of fraud, waste and abuse protocols found investigators followed existing procedures but recommended a consolidated code of ethics, formal involvement of multiple functional areas in investigations, improved board reporting and a modified audit/advisory committee charter.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Teachers, parents and advocates challenge staffing cuts and call for clarity at Milwaukee School District FY2026 budget hearing

District reports progress on lead action plan: seven schools cleared, stabilization under way and project manager on-site

Milwaukee School District board reconsiders and adopts FY2025 budget modification; vote 6–0 with one abstention

Independent review finds Milwaukee School District investigations followed policy but recommends clearer code of ethics and broader oversight