Students, parents and organizers press Milwaukee school board to fund mental health, fix bathrooms and back equity audits

More than a dozen students, organizers and teachers told the Milwaukee Board of School Directors at its June 24 meeting that the district’s proposed FY26 budget must prioritize mental health staffing, school facilities and equitable instructional supports.

Students and staff from Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT), a youth-led advocacy group, urged directors to fund counselors, replace broken equipment, repair unsanitary bathrooms and adopt community-proposed equity amendments before spending on a “safe schools hub.”

The speakers framed the demands as matters of student safety and learning. “Everyday students like me are forced to deal with bathrooms that are not only dirty but honestly disgusting,” student Lamorie Chase said. “No student should have to experience that just to use the bathroom.” Joseph Johnson, a 12th grader and LIT member, said schools lack mental-health resources and programs: “I am once a person with bad mental health and a very low self esteem until I got the help I needed. To see other…