Milwaukee parents, educators, and community members are calling on the Milwaukee Board of School Directors to take immediate action to address serious concerns with the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) 2026–2027 budget.

This is not just about budget cuts. It is about a deeply flawed process that has excluded stakeholders, centralized decision-making, and produced outcomes that threaten the stability of our schools.

A Broken Process

School Engagement Councils (SECs), which are required under MPS policy to provide input on school budgets, were not given a meaningful opportunity to do so. In many cases, budget information was provided on the same day signatures were due, with no time for review or discussion.

At the same time, decisions were largely predetermined by Central Office, leaving no room for school-level input or adjustment. This violates both the intent and the spirit of MPS policy and undermines trust in district leadership.

Centralized Decisions, Real Consequences

This budget reflects a significant shift away from school-level autonomy. Principals and school communities have lost the ability to make staffing decisions based on the needs of their students.

Instead, the district has imposed a one-size-fits-all assistant principal staffing ratio (1:350 students) that ignores differences in school structure, student need, and program complexity.

This is not equity. It is uniformity - and it will create inequitable outcomes.

Harm to Students and Staff

According to the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association (MTEA), the current budget process is already causing widespread disruption:
* Hundreds of student-facing staff have received excess notices or reduced hours
* Critical positions serving high-need and vulnerable students are being cut
* Previous actions forced educators to reapply for their own jobs, destabilizing schools

At the same time:
* There are no full cost-of-living adjustments for teachers
* Excessed employees must reapply for positions with seniority reset to zero, erasing years of service
* These decisions will make it significantly harder to attract and retain qualified educators, directly impacting students.

A Pattern of Instability

MTEA leaders have warned that what is unfolding in Milwaukee mirrors the chaos, dysfunction, and operational instability seen in other districts under similar leadership.
We cannot allow our schools to become unstable environments where students, families, and educators are left to absorb the consequences of rushed and opaque decision-making.

OUR DEMANDS

We call on the Milwaukee Board of School Directors and the Office of Accountability and Efficiency to:
1. Pause and review the current budget process to ensure compliance with MPS policies, including meaningful SEC engagement.
2. Restore school-level autonomy in staffing and budget decisions.
3. Reject one-size-fits-all staffing formulas and adopt needs-based, equity-driven models.
4. Protect student-facing positions, particularly those serving high-need populations.
5. Ensure fair treatment of employees, including preservation of seniority and pathways for reassignment.
6. Provide transparency around budget assumptions, alternatives considered, and decision-making processes.
7. Stabilize the district by prioritizing students, families, and frontline educators over administrative expediency.

TAKE ACTION

We urge all community members to:
* Sign and share this petition
* Contact Milwaukee Board of School Directors members and demand accountability. You can find your Board Director at www.milwaukeepublicschools.org/about/board
* Attend the District Advisory Council (DAC) meeting on April 9 at 6:00 PM (link available on the DAC website: www.milwaukeepublicschools.org/families/involvement/district-advisory-council)
* Encourage SEC representatives to abstain from signing budget forms if meaningful input was not provided
* Connect with MPS Parents for a Fair MPS Budget at MPSParents4AFairBudget@proton.me

Milwaukee students deserve stable schools, experienced educators, and decisions grounded in transparency and equity.

This budget, as it stands, fails on all three.

We call on the Board to act now. Protect our schools.