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Board delays change to PACE committee after public comment and member concerns
Summary
After public and board debate about reducing the frequency and scope of the Parent and Community Engagement (PACE) committee, the board voted unanimously to table proposed changes and asked for a longer planning process and more community input.
The Milwaukee Board of School Directors on April 2025 tabled a proposal to change the structure and schedule of its Parent and Community Engagement (PACE) committee after public comment and substantial discussion among board members.
Nut graf: Community members and several board members urged maintaining monthly access and predictable scheduling for parent and community input; the board voted to table the proposal and asked administration to develop a more comprehensive plan that includes staff proposals for a chief of family and community engagement and districtwide parent advisory groups.
Office of Board Governance staff proposed shifting PACE toward periodic community engagement sessions and moving data- and achievement-focused items to a renamed Student Achievement and School Innovation (SASSI) committee, with PACE meeting less frequently "at the call of the chair." Public speakers, including Angela Harris and Jamelle Harris, urged retaining monthly meetings and broader agenda access; Angela Harris cited Board Rule 2.05 in arguing that PACE should address a wide range of parental and community concerns and remain regular and accessible.
Board members expressed a mix of support for the community-engagement idea and concern about reducing meeting frequency. Several suggested a compromise of alternating months (one month data/committee work, next month a community session) to preserve monthly predictability while creating space for deeper community-driven sessions. Director Gokul Gandhi proposed tabling the item to allow a longer, year-long planning process and more public input; the motion to table passed unanimously (9–0).
Superintendent Brenda Cassellius told the board she plans to create a new chief-of-family-and-community-engagement position and a district-level parent advisory structure that would include targeted advisory groups for families of students with special needs and multilingual learners; she said she would present detailed proposals in May.
Ending: The board's unanimous vote to table postponed any committee restructures until after broader engagement and organizational planning; members asked that future proposals include clear calendars and predictable, monthly opportunities for parent participation where possible.
