Committee approves five‑year instrumentality charter contract for Milwaukee Virtual School; administration to monitor

The Committee on Student Achievement and School Innovation authorized administration to negotiate and finalize a five‑year instrumentality charter contract with Milwaukee Virtual School (MVS) to operate beginning with the 2025–26 school year and ending in 2029–30.

Under the item presented by Bridget Schock Anderson, director of contracted school services, the contract follows board approval of the initial proposal and attaches required DPI benchmarks and contract expectations. Schock said the negotiated contract includes testing and academic performance requirements and regular reporting obligations aligned with charter policy 9.12.

Why it matters: The contract would establish MVS as an instrumentality charter of Milwaukee Public Schools. Committee members and public commenters raised questions about ambitious enrollment projections the virtual school supplied (MVS projection cited growth from roughly 900 to 2,500 students by 2028), student participation in state testing, curriculum alignment and teacher qualifications under Act 20 (Wisconsin’s literacy law). A member of the public also urged caution given past performance of virtual providers statewide.

Discussion highlights: Committee members pressed administration on several points. Director Leonard asked whether teachers would receive LETRS (science‑of‑reading) training where required; administration said virtual teachers must follow state law and related training requirements. Director Zombor asked about the timing of contract reviews; Bridget Schock Anderson replied the district conducts annual oversight (pupil academic achievement reports, financial audit, compliance/performance audit) and charter renewal occurs in the fourth year (during the fifth year of the contract). Interim chief Michael Harris and administration said annual updates and monitoring are expected and noted the charter review panel recommended regular progress updates to the board.

Providers and staffing: Administration said current MVS operations use a content platform (Edgenuity/Imagine Learning) and that some instructors are third‑party contracted teachers; the contract language allows for contracted instruction while the instrumentality arrangement also provides district LTE staff like counselors and social workers at the hub campus. Administration also said the program would include synchronous instruction, asynchronous work, mentors and LTEs to support students; hub locations and partnerships (including recreation activities and in‑person testing) were described.

Vote and conditions: Director Leonard moved approval. The roll call recorded Director Ferguson — Aye; Director Gokul Gandhi — Aye; Director Leonard — Aye; Chair Simpson — Aye. The committee vote was 4–0 to approve the contract negotiation and execution as recommended by administration. Committee members requested — and administration agreed — to provide annual monitoring reports and recommended regular updates to the board on metrics including academic outcomes, test participation, enrollment and financials.

Next steps and oversight concerns: Administration said it will return with the negotiated contract for final approval and that the charter school review panel recommended regular updates. Committee members asked for an explicit reporting schedule; administration said annual written reports (audits, pupil academic achievement reports) are provided and larger renewal reviews occur in the contract’s later years, but members asked staff to consider bringing a plan to provide timely, board‑level updates in the early years of the charter’s operation.

Ending: The committee authorized execution of the instrumentality charter contract with the expectation of annual reporting and heightened oversight during the early years of the contract.