COLLESTON'S CORNER
Creating the Policy Conditions for our Schools to Thrive
‘Colleston's Corner' is a dedicated space curated by CFC executive director, Colleston Morgan Jr. to include insights on critical issues facing Milwaukee’s students and the schools that serve them.
Milwaukee stands at a crossroads. Our city's future hinges on the quality of education we provide to our children today. But right now, there remain too many entrenched political barriers and inequities preventing us from fulfilling the promise of a great public education for every student.
We believe addressing these barriers is paramount to creating the necessary conditions for all our schools to succeed.
City Forward Collective has identified three essential legislative priorities for the next three years. These priorities will lay the groundwork to create the conditions for excellent schools in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin.
Priority 1: Every Child Deserves A Fairly Funded Education
Priority 2: Every Family Deserves Honesty, Transparency, & Accountability In School Performance
Priority 3: Every Resident Deserves A High-Performing District At Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS)
First and foremost, we must confront the stark reality of funding inequality in our schools. It's unconscionable that over 50,000 Milwaukee students in public charter and private schools within the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program receive significantly less funding than their peers. This gap is projected to widen to a staggering 33-50% over the next four years. How can we expect all our children to succeed when the playing field is so uneven?
We propose a straightforward solution: bring core funding for every Milwaukee student up to the state average. This isn't just about fairness - although that’s important; it's about investing in our city's future. We must also increase support for our most vulnerable learners – those with special needs, English language learners, and our youngest students from low-income families. By adopting a student-centered funding model we can allocate resources based on what each child needs.
Second, we need honest and transparent assessment of school performance. Parents deserve clear, reliable information to make informed choices about their children's education. Our current state report card system falls short, failing to provide an accurate picture of school quality.
To fix it, we need to strike a better balance between measuring achievement and growth. We also need DPI to commit to holding high expectations for all students. They should not change how they’re going to measure proficiency simply because student achievement is not where they want it to be.
Finally, we must address the ongoing academic and financial challenges within Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). MPS's success is critical to our city's future. Yet, years of underperformance and financial mismanagement have eroded public trust and, more importantly, failed generations of students.
It's time for a fresh approach. We propose enhancing transparency through public audits and hearings, restructuring governance to include individuals with relevant expertise, and refocusing the school board's authority on academic and financial management. These changes aren't about pointing fingers; they're about creating a system that works for all stakeholders – students, families, educators, and taxpayers alike.
The path forward won't be easy, but the stakes are too high for half-measures. By addressing funding inequities, improving performance transparency, and tackling systemic issues in our largest district, we can begin to create an educational landscape in Milwaukee where every child has the opportunity to succeed. As we prepare for the upcoming legislative session, we'll continue to inform and engage with stakeholders on these issues. We're committed to listening to those closest to these issues and incorporating their valuable input, which may further refine and strengthen our policy priorities. Together, we can build a more equitable and effective educational system for all of Milwaukee's students.
Click to download our 2025-27 Legislative Session Policy Priorities
EDITOR’S NOTE
MKE EDU NEWS & VIEWS: SAME GREAT CONTENT, BETTER DELIVERY SCHEDULE
City Forward Collective is expanding the weekly MKE Edu News Brief into MKE Edu News & Views — your one-stop home to the latest news, data, analysis, and opinion related to K-12 education in Milwaukee.
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In the October 6 Journal Sentinel, the president of the MTEA demanded an end to Choice, while Choice advocates defended the program. This argument has been going on for decades.
Colleston has done a good job of pointing out the flaws in the MTEA’s argument. And of course, the MTEA largely runs MPS, and so this is also the stance of the Board.
But there is something more basic that is wrong here.
First, getting rid of Choice simply isn’t going to happen. The parents of the over 28,000 Choice students will furiously fight any attempt to shut down their kids’ schools. And other powerful political forces will line up alongside them.
And, clinging to the belief that the way to “fix” our MPS schools is to get rid of Choice distracts us from doing something that might really work—to seize this moment to imagine and put in place a much better system to give our kids the learning experience they deserve.
We can rethink how to bring about better pedagogy, move to personalized learning, ensure engagement of all our families and kids, improve the teacher pipeline, and build stronger community-based schools.
What if we all worked together to give our kids a system that would be not just better but the BEST in the country, a model for everyone else?
Just a dream? Well, we can try. Our kids deserve this.
I am an MPS alumnus (Riverside) and a retired MPS employee, having worked in the technology area. I am also a former K-8 teacher in another system, where I was a union member.