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State Takeover of Milwaukee Public Schools

UPDATE

Senate and Assembly failed to agree on MPS reform. Bill died at end of legislative session.

The State Senate voted non-concurrence, 30-2, on the Assembly's anti-teacher reform bill for Milwaukee Public Schools. Lobbying activities by WEAC members played a big role in preventing passage of a partisan anti-teacher bill.

The Senate and Assembly versions of the bill were distinctly different. Following are summaries of each:

The Assembly Republican Version of Bill Contained Attacks On the Collective Bargaining Rights of Teachers

In a stunning display of partisan politics the State Assembly Republicans crafted their own version of the MPS reform bill which contained no funding for education reform in MPS and included direct attacks on teacher bargaining rights. The Assembly bill passed by a vote of 47-42. Two Republicans, Rep. Dobyns (Fond du Lac) and Rep. Lorge (Bear Creek) joined all of the Democrats to vote against the revised bill.

Attacks on Collective Bargaining Rights of Teachers

  • Reinstalled the prohibited subjects of bargaining language with regard to the reassignment of employees as a result of a MPS Board decision to: (1) operate a charter school, (2) reorganize a school, and (3) contract with a school or agency to provide educational programs. This also reinstalls the prohibited subject of bargaining around the impact of such decisions on wages, hours and conditions of employment.
  • Reinstalled language that modified the MPS authority to enter into a contract for the establishment of a charter school located outside the school district or convert a private school to a charter school.
  • Reinstalled language that would allow the MPS Board to reorganize any school that it determines to be low in performance by adopting a resolution to that effect. This language allow the superintendent of schools to reassign the school's licensed staff members without regard to seniority in service.

Established a Commission on the Future of MPS

  • The Assembly Republican's bill eliminated all references to the Local Reform Councils from the Senate version and instead created a nine-member Commission on the Future of MPS. The Commission included: (a) the Speaker and Minority Leader of the Assembly and the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate, or their designees, who would have to be legislators; (b) the Mayor of the City of Milwaukee or his designee, who would have to reside in the City; (c) a member of the MPS Board, or its designee, who would have to reside in the City; and (d) three appointees by the Governor, who would have to reside in the City. The Commission would elect its chairperson. The first meeting of the Commission would be held at the call of the Speaker of the Assembly, or his designee.
  • The Commission would be required to report to the Governor, Legislature, Mayor and Board of MPS on two subjects. First, the Commission would be required to develop proposed legislation relating to the future of MPS for consideration by the 1999 Legislature.

Requires an Advisory Referendum

  • In addition to developing proposed legislation, the Commission was required to prepare the exact wording for the question or questions to be considered at an advisory referendum. This referendum would be required to be held in the City of Milwaukee in April 1999. The substitute amendment would provide $25,000 GPR to the Joint Committee on Finance for release to a separate appropriation created for this purpose to defray the local costs of the referendum, up to $25,000.

Deletes of All Funding for Education Reform from Senate Version

  • The Assembly Republican version of the bill also deleted the $6M funding for education programs in MPS. This included funding for Summer School, after school programs, truancy abatement and expansion of the SAGE class size reduction program.

The Senate Republican Version
Removed Anti-Union Provisions
and provided funding for education programs

The State Senate - on a party-line vote - approved a very different Milwaukee Public Schools reform bill.

The Good News: Your e-mails and contacts to Senate offices helped modify the bill! After lengthy debate, the State Senate adopted an amendment to remove many of the attacks on collective bargaining in the bill. The amendment was authored by Senators Schultz (R-Richland Center), Ellis (R-Neenah), Rosenzweig (R-Wauwatosa), and Rude (R-Coon Valley) and was approved on a voice vote. It contained the following components:

  • Deleted prohibited subjects of bargaining language with regard to the reassignment of employees as a result of a MPS Board decision to: (1) operate a charter school, (2) reorganize a school, and (3) contract with a school or agency to provide educational programs. This also deleted the prohibited subject of bargaining around the impact of such decisions on wages, hours and conditions of employment.
  • Deleted language that modified the MPS authority to enter into a contract for the establishment of a charter school located outside the school district or convert a private school to a charter school.
  • Deleted language that would allow the MPS Board to reorganize any school that it determines to be low in performance by adopting a resolution to that effect. This language would have allowed the superintendent of schools to reassign the school's licensed staff members without regard to seniority in service.

SAGE Funding in MPS:

  • Provided approximately $1 million to MPS to double the size of the SAGE program in Milwaukee to allow DPI to contract with up to 20 SAGE eligible schools. Funding came from unused SAGE money left in DPI from eligible school districts that did not participate in the program.

Other "One Time" Grants to MPS:

  • Provided a one time grant of $3 million to MPS for summer school programs in 1999. This is a fall back from the 50% ($4.3M) funding for summer school from the original JFC commitment. The aid did not affect equalized aid distribution to other schools statewide.
  • Provided a one time grant of $2.5 million GPR for after school educational, recreational and health programs.
  • Provided $325,000 to expand the Truancy Abatement and Burglary Suppression program (TABS) in MPS.

Neighborhood Schools:

  • Required the use of "a portion" of interdistrict aids in 1998-99 to build or lease neighborhood schools.

The Bad News: The bill still changed the election of MPS Board members and established local Reform Councils. WEAC was opposed to this version Special Session Senate Bill 2. The bill contained a concept to create Local Reform Councils which had the authority to request the MPS Board to reassign licensed staff members in "low-performing" schools without regard to seniority. In addition to other powers to run individual schools, the Local Reform Councils also had the authority to veto any decision by the MPS Board to assign staff to schools.

For More Information:

Contact John Stocks in the WEAC Government Relations Division at 800-362-8034 ext. 256 with any reactions, comments or questions.

 

At the Capitol News Archives