TARGET MPS

I just had to blog about this one. On the cover of the Shepard Express this week is a big bullseye with MPS in the middle and several darts being thrown at it. Naturally, I grabbed an issue before my daily ride on the bus and decided that I needed to bring this article with me to class to see what my 8th graders had to say about this.

The article focuses on the task of reforming MPS. Specifically it poses the question, "will reform come from insiders or outsiders?" There are many who believe that MPS is so dysfunctional and wasteful that it can't save itself. After reading this article and considering what I already know about the issue I would say that MPS can be saved but it is going to take a lot of sweat from a lot of dedicated people within the system already.

The burden on property tax payers in Milwaukee is huge. We pay an extra 130 million dollars in taxes here to support the voucher program--a program that has shown to do little in terms of improving student performance. The article also goes on to point out that a recent audit of MPS (the McKinsey audit) claims that MPS faces serious annual shortfalls in the next 5 years. According to the audit, "the district could save $42 million to $100 million a year by renegotiating employee benefits, centralizing purchases, decreasing work hours so that some employees qualify for BadgerCare and serving prepackaged box lunches to students."

Whoa! We all know MPS is a district in need of some serious help and dedicated teachers. And now you want to suggest cutting teacher benefits!? That sounds like a great way to attract good teachers to the district!! (HEAVY DOSE OF SARCASM!). I think these suggestions can be put to rest by the audit's own findings that said, "MPS's biggest financial challenges are caused by declining enrollements due to the voucher program and the high cost of health care benefits (health care costs in southeast Wisconsin are much higher than the national average)--challenges that are not controlled by the MPS board." NOT controlled by the MPS board! These are challenges created by our legislators! Affordable health care? How about nationalized health care? We are basically the only developed nation that does not guarantee CHILDREN the right to free health care. That's a whole other issue in itself...

And the voucher program. A lot of what I am reading about the voucher program is showing that there is little statistical data to support students are benefiting from the choice program. Yet it is not only costing tax payers more to keep this program going, but it is also depleting much needed funds from MPS. How can we save MPS!?