Your MKE Edu News Brief: 03/07/2025

State audit of DPI continues as voters favor school choice before 4/1 election • New MPS Supe will begin 3/15 • MPS operational woes continue • McMahon confirmed as US Secretary-possibly the last?

CFC In the News

• “The conversation we need to have as a city is, how do we, on a citywide basis, address student achievement outcomes and ensure more kids have access to more high quality schools in every sector, in every area?” CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan said at a February 28th Biz Times event.

• “Analyzing educational data should be a straightforward process that allows for clear year-over-year performance comparisons—and most years it is,” Morgan told me in an interview. “But the most recent changes to the Wisconsin Academic Standards and state assessment have both lowered the bar for what we expect from our students and muddied the picture of student outcomes and school performance across years.”

1

State audit of DPI advances as polling shows desire for school choice in advance of 4/1 election.

This week, the state Legislature's audit committee ordered a review of the Department of Public Instruction's changes to how student academic achievement is measured in Wisconsin. CFC has criticized State Superintendent Underly for months for lowering the bar for Wisconsin students, muddying the picture of student outcomes.

Now, the new state audit will look into the DPI's process in setting standards and testing benchmarks that are used on school and district report cards, reports Kelly Meyerhofer in the Journal-Sentinel:

The changes complicate efforts to see how schools and districts improve over time. And they come at a time when schools are desperate to see whether students are catching up for pandemic-related learning loss.

"It’s almost a deliberate attempt to stop the continuity," Committee co-chair Sen. Eric Wimberger told DPI officials.

Polling shows unknown candidates, desire for more choice

The audit comes as incumbent Jill Underly will face challenger Brittany Kinser in the State Superintendent election on April 1st, with a new Marquette University poll coming out this week.

Relative unknown candidates

Several media outlets noted how the race is still fluid, as 64% didn’t have an opinion of state Superintendent Jill Underly, and 71% said the same about Brittany Kinser.

Polling shows the thirst for more choice.

The poll showed an electorate that desires more school choice: 57% favor allowing all students statewide to use vouchers to attend private or religious schools, while 43% oppose it. Voters and families in this poll reject the false dichotomy, instead opting for strong public schools and quality school choices.

Similarly, a new IRG Poll shows that Kinser has a slight edge on Underly (22%- 20​​%, with 58% undecided)--and the lead expands to 30 points when told that Kinser supports school choice.

CFC has been making this point since before the 2024 elections, including in a September Opinion column with Dr. Howard Fuller and Abby Andrietsch, the CEO of St. Augustine Preparatory Academy, “Wisconsin school choice isn’t controversial among students and families it helps.”

National spotlight on Wisconsin’s lowered standards

Meanwhile, a pair of national pieces railed against states like Wisconsin that have lowered expectations for students.

In the Free Press, Frannie Block writes:

“As U.S. students keep falling behind, educators keep lowering standards. ‘It’s like telling everyone they’re a great swimmer when you know half of us are drowning.’”

And then lists Wisconsin as one of the leading states in lowering standards:

“Wisconsin also lowered cut scores last year. This led to more than 50 percent of the state’s elementary schoolers testing proficient in math and reading in 2024, compared to 41 percent the previous year.”

Then, in a new blog, national reform expert Joanna Jacobs lays out the case for consistent achievement measures:

“Ignorance isn't bliss: We need testing to know what students don't know. Without statewide assessments, parents, educators and policymakers lose access to clear, comparable information about student performance. That makes it harder for parents to "make informed choices about their children’s education."

What’s next:

The audit of DPI’s state report card process will continue before the April 1st election. Early voting begins on Tuesday, March 18th.

Related:

• OPINION: Wisconsin school choice isn’t controversial among students and families. It helps

• How American Educators Are Conning Kids

• Ignorance Isn’t Bliss

• DPI's changes to state testing benchmarks will face an audit

• Most voters have not yet formed an opinion of Jill Underly, Brittany Kinser, poll finds

• Marquette poll finds spring candidates largely unknown, voters split on Trump

• A month before the election, large percentages of registered voters lack opinions of candidates for Wisconsin Supreme Court, state superintendent of public instruction // News Center // Marquette University

• Poll: Wisconsin voters don't know Supreme Court, superintendent candidates

• IRG Poll: Poll Shows Kinser Has Opportunity to Remake Education in Wisconsin

2

New MPS Supe will start 3/15, earning more than the Mayor and Governor combined

Earlier this week, the MPS Board approved Brenda Cassellius’ superintendent contract, with two significant updates from expectations:

“There’s a bit of urgency.”

In an understatement, new superintendent Cassellius pointed to the urgent issues facing the district as a reason to start earlier---March 15th, nearly three months before anticipated. The MPS Board approved the earlier start date on Tuesday, and Casselius indicated she’s ready to dive in:

TMJ4's Megan Lee asked Cassellius if she thought she would start this position so early: “I did not, no. But I am willing and able and ready to roll up my sleeves and get started with the board and the full community," she said.”

Compensation over $300,000

The Board also approved a compensation package that makes the new superintendent the highest-paid public official in Milwaukee. Her base annual salary will be $320,000 starting July 1, representing a 5% increase from the previous superintendent, Keith Posley.

Time to get to work

As our Executive Director Colleston Morgan highlighted in his Colleston’s Corner last month, this time must be different:

This time must be different - for our students and our future. Academically and financially, our city cannot afford another bad replay. We must hold leaders accountable for ensuring these issues aren't swept under the rug, and that true change happens.

Selecting Dr. Brenda Cassellius as MPS’ next superintendent is a necessary first step, but it's far from sufficient. We all want to see her succeed, as her success means more Milwaukee students being well-educated and prepared to thrive.

Related:

• See details of the new MPS superintendent's contract

• Milwaukee School Board approves Brenda Cassellius' superintendent contract

• New MPS superintendent to earn more than mayor, governor combined

• New MPS superintendent Brenda Cassellius set to make more than $300,000 a year

• New MPS superintendent slated to start March 15

• 'There's a bit of urgency': New MPS superintendent contract to start earlier than expected

• New MPS Superintendent to Start Early

3

MPS Organizational Mistakes Continue

This week, MPS's lack of effective leadership continues to cause problems for Milwaukee's students and families.

Trowbridge remains closed, and 10,000 under the age of six are at risk

As of publication, Trowbridge School does not yet have a reopening date. Last week, MPS and the Milwaukee Health Department ordered the school closed for lead exposure. CBS 58 reports the latest:

On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Health Department announced that lead testing clinics will soon start for students attending the four MPS schools that have tested positive for dangerous levels of lead. Also, federal health authorities held a call about expanding testing to every school in the district.

At the health department's monthly meeting, Milwaukee Health Commissioner Mike Totoraitis said,

About 10,000 children under the age of six may be exposed to lead poisoning.”

The Health Department is working with Children's Wisconsin and Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers to build a lead testing clinic. It will start with students at the four impacted schools and aim to open next week.

The issue will likely continue, as Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service reports that over 85% of Milwaukee Public Schools facilities were constructed before lead-based paint and interior plumbing were made illegal in 1978 and 1986.

Product of MPS ineffectiveness

As CFC pointed out last week, MPS officials could not confirm whether the district followed its Lead-Based Paint Compliance Program, which mandates annual lead inspections of all schools. Instead, they cited staffing shortages and budget cuts as the cause.

School Resource Officers’ negotiation drags on.

Meanwhile, MPS continues to violate state law, and a judge ordered the removal of school resource officers from MPS schools. If MPS does not comply by the March 15th deadline, it will be fined $1,000 daily.

This week, the Milwaukee Common Council approved the plan to reinstate SROs in MPS schools, a key benchmark toward satisfying the 3/15 deadline. The plan states that SROs will not be involved in school discipline but only intervene when students break the law. The agreement is expected to cost $1.6 million.

Madison lawmakers debate penalties.

Madison lawmakers continue to keep up the pressure on MPS and the City to act. Baylor Spears writes in the Wisconsin Examiner:

Republican lawmakers are proposing a law that would financially penalize the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) and the city of Milwaukee if they stop complying with a state law that requires police officers in schools.

“The biggest district, the one in my estimation that could benefit the most, has, along with the city, dragged their feet for 400 days. It’s absurd and the safety of our kids is at jeopardy,” Rep. Bob Donovan said.

March 15th deadline

The City and MPS must meet the March 15th deadline to avoid penalties.

MPS is the highest-funded local government entity in Milwaukee

The financial and operational troubles come as the Journal-Sentinel notes that MPS does not face a resource gap, and, as Mayor Johnson notes in the debate over SROs, it has a larger tax levy than the City of Milwaukee:

Andrew Reschovsky, Professor Emeritus of Public Affairs and Applied Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in an email, said, “The mayor’s statement is true,” and attached a table illustrating data that includes property tax revenue of the city government and the Milwaukee Public School District for the years 2000 through 2021.

The data shows that in 2009 and 2010 and again in 2024 and 2025, school property tax revenue (or levies) exceeded city property tax revenues, Reschovsky said in the email.

MPS has the financial resources to improve MPS schools, yet its leadership has yet again failed to serve MPS’s children and families.

Related:

• MPH to announce children's lead testing clinic soon, no reopen date for Trowbridge School yet

• MPS lead exposure ongoing efforts

• Here’s what we know after one MPS school closed because of lead poisoning

• SROs will not get involved in school discipline, agreement says

• Lawmakers debate bill to penalize lack of police officers in Milwaukee schools

• State lawmakers debate bill that would require MPS to cover 75% of SRO costs

• Milwaukee Common Council approves plan to place SROs back in Milwaukee Public Schools

• Working in a school is ‘different’ for police officers – Wis. Morning News

• MPS approves SRO agreement and su­per­in­tendent contract

• MPS does indeed have a larger tax levy than the City of Milwaukee

4

Senate confirms McMahon as U.S. Secretary of Education with significant uncertainty.

Linda McMahon was confirmed earlier this week as the next U.S. Secretary of Education in a 51-to-45 party-line vote.

Upon confirmation, Secretary McMahon sent a message out about the department’s “final mission” as she begins her work under President Trump, who has promised to abolish the agency :

“We must start thinking about our final mission at the department as an overhaul — a last chance to restore the culture of liberty and excellence that made American education great,” she wrote in a Monday night email to agency staff, shared with The 74. She encouraged employees to be “enthusiastic” about what’s to come.

McMahon also outlined her focus areas for her new administration:

She also said, “Taxpayer-funded education should refocus on meaningful learning in math, reading, science, and history—not divisive DEI programs and gender ideology” and that “postsecondary education should be a path to a well-paying career aligned with workforce needs.”

Funding uncertainty

The consequences of the efforts to abolish the Department remain unknown. In the Journal-Sentinel, Kelly Meyerhofer outlines the Department’s role:

The department distributes some federal grants for programs such as the Title I program for high-poverty K-12 schools and another program for special education. However, most of the money for public schools comes from state and local property taxes. Less than 10% of K-12 school funding passes through the federal agency.

Wisconsin state education officials see critical federal funding at risk:

According to DPI, Wisconsin schools will receive more than $838 million in federal K-12 funding in the current 2024-25 school year. The state received another $274 million in funding for school lunches from the prior year.

So far, exactly which federal funding streams for K-12 education could be cut is unclear. However, the White House has generally outlined broad intentions to reduce federal spending on programs that support diversity, equity and inclusion.

Related:

• An Unprecedented Start for Ed Department’s Latest — and Perhaps Last — Secretary

• New Secretary Linda McMahon unveils ‘final mission’ for U.S. Department of Education.

• Senate Confirms Linda McMahon as Education Secretary

• What does the U.S. Department of Education do?

• Wisconsin K-12 officials say critical federal funding is at risk.

MORE

LOCAL

• Camp teaches students about Milwaukee's Black history and their own families history.

• MPS teacher goes viral, making English fun for millions on TikTok

• Milwaukee schools are 'safe havens.' What are your child's rights if ICE comes to school?

• School bus tracking app; Milwaukee Public Schools launches 'WheresTheBus'

• It ‘feels disruptive’: UW-Madison teacher training program loses funding from the federal government

• Milwaukee School of Engineering is building a new AI learning center

STATE

• More K-12 districts in Wisconsin using referendums for safety upgrades

• A Wisconsin race-based college grant program is illegal, appellate court rules

• Opinion: Is the state committed to helping Wisconsin's kids learn to read or isn't it?

NATIONAL

• Amid Polarization, Civics Education Enjoys Surprising Bipartisan Support, Survey Finds

• Robin Berkley Opinion: Whatever Changes the Feds Make, They Must Keep Requiring Annual State Exams

• With student test scores flailing, DOGE cuts to Nation’s Report Card raise red flags.