MPS superintendent must return to classrooms to fix Milwaukee's schools | Opinion

The Milwaukee School Board has a challenging few months ahead rebuilding trust in the state’s largest school system from addressing pressing financial concerns to protecting the district from potential losses of millions of dollars.

But even with that daunting list, it's most important task will be hiring a new superintendent in the wake of the resignation of Superintendent Keith Posley earlier this month. Bringing in a dynamic leader is all the more critical since a mayoral takeover of the school system, which I still believe is the best way to revitalize the district, has been rejected by Mayor Cavalier Johnson.

After talking with several school leaders and educators, finding the correct fix and the right superintendent won’t be easy. MPS is deeply entrenched in maintaining the status quo and is resistant to the necessary changes that would benefit our students. And all of this comes as a recall effort has been launched against several board members.

Being inside schools will be critical for next MPS superintendent

The next MPS superintendent must be a strong problem solver and an influential critical thinker, but just as important as that is, where the leader spends time is critical, which is why I think the new leader should dedicate at least one day a week to being present in a school. Being close enough to see potential problems will help in understanding the issues. What are the needs of the teachers and students? Where are the gaps? Understanding these aspects is crucial to improving the current MPS trajectory.

The superintendent must possess excellent communication skills and understand how to effectively communicate with parents, business leaders, taxpayers, and the school board. This means being able to articulate both positive and negative aspects properly.

Additionally, the new leader of MPS should view the district as a place where they would want to send their children. The selection should not be rushed. The board should wait until all the recall efforts are completed.

The new superintendent should have the autonomy to pave the way and be willing to shake things up, and the new board should support this person. Unlike previous MPS leaders, the new superintendent should prioritize literacy and black male graduation rates and close one of the country's largest achievement gaps between black and white students.

The lack of sufficient literacy in the Black community is a significant factor that contributes to making Milwaukee perennially one of the worst cities in America to raise a black child. MPS is unquestionably letting down our children, and as a result, it is failing all of us.

SEED schools and tougher summer school rules should be considered

We need to consider all possible options to prioritize the needs of our children. This should involve implementing compulsory summer school for students who are more than two grades behind in reading. School leaders should also consider establishing a SEED School to provide around-the-clock education, tutoring, mentorship, and housing for young people in need, and transforming our district into a school system that we can all take pride in.

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SEED schools are public, college-preparatory boarding schools designed for students who need a 24-hour learning environment to reach their full potential. About 90% of SEED 9th graders graduate from high school and 94% enroll in college. Only 65% of MPS students complete high school in four years.

MPS considered a SEED school model during the mid-2000s but the board rejected the idea because they said it was too expensive. would argue that it costs far more to have our children struggle to graduate from high school.

Milwaukee Public School system has been broken for long time

In a recent opinion piece for the Journal Sentinel, former MPS Superintendent William Andrekopolus stated that adults have failed children in the district. Andrekopolus, 72, said MPS has a broken governance system, and the only way to fix it would be for Gov. Tony Evers to replace the existing school board and superintendent with a special commissioner and a seven-member community advisory panel (appointed by community stakeholders) for three years.

When I interviewed Andrekopolus earlier this week, he said MPS must be transparent and put children first.

"Too much of the superintendent's time is spent on adults and not children and that's got to change," said Andrekopolus, a former middle school principal and MPS superintendent from 2002-2010.

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My relationship with Andrekopolus began in 2008 when I started reporting on education for the Journal Sentinel Editorial Board. At that time, Andrekopolus was the superintendent, and I advocated for a mayoral takeover because I believed the board hindered his progress and they wanted to keep the status quo.

It's not a good sign that we are still having the same discussions today as we did back then.

Finding someone who can come in and turn around MPS could take as long as a year. When the district narrows down the finalists, the public and students must have input. The next superintendent must be bold because failure cannot be an option.

Reach James E. Causey at jcausey@jrn.com; follow him on X @jecausey.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee School Board has daunting list to restore trust in district