Educators’ Perspective on MPS Neighborhood Schools Planning

This article ran as the cover story in the Sunday Crossroads section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel May 28, 2000

By Paulette Y. Copeland
MPS Classroom Teacher
President, Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association

As educators, we value parental support, and we applaud the initial steps Superintendent Korté’s administration has taken to solicit the views of parents in developing the MPS Neighborhood Schools Plan Interim Report.

Surveying parents on neighborhood schools has already benefited MPS. For years, Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association members have been frustrated with the lack of positive news about the public schools of Milwaukee. We are pleased with the finding that “most of the parents surveyed are happy with the MPS school their child presently attends.” We think the neighborhood schools planning process should build upon the support parents have for public schools.

We believe two major concerns need to be addressed to make neighborhood schools successful for all children – financial resources and time.

The Interim Report includes components which Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association members have sought for years - a major expansion of early childhood programs; class size reduction; safe, nurturing environments for students in schools before, during and after the school day; and partnerships with social service agencies and other community institutions that address family needs.

However, the projected MPS budget shortfall for next school year will mean cuts in services for students with special education needs; the loss of music, art, physical education, library and reading specialist services; outdated textbooks; deferred maintenance; and less support for the most needy students from educational assistants, social workers, psychologists, and other staff.

Neighborhood schools that offer less will not be the choice of parents.

We also have serious doubts that the projected savings from reduced busing will cover the cost of repaying the bonds to finance the neighborhood schools plan. This issue needs careful reconsideration. MPS will continue to bus thousands of students, and the huge increases in fuel costs, which were not anticipated when the law was enacted, must be addressed.

We foresee that, again, Milwaukee taxpayers will pick up the tab. For the current fiscal year, Milwaukee taxpayers are making up the $20 million loss in state aids diverted from MPS to fund vouchers for private and parochial schools. City taxpayers should not absorb another state-imposed burden.

Unless the future added costs of the neighborhood schools plan are exempt from revenue caps, the current MPS budget crisis will be significantly worse. Services and programs that attract parents to MPS should be increased, not cut.

The second major concern we have with the neighborhood schools planning process is the commitment of time. The current timetable does not allow enough time to build support among parents, community, and school staffs for many major changes. For example, some of the policy changes in the Interim Report reverse over two decades of busing service, for which parents have expressed much satisfaction in recent surveys.

Moreover, it takes a lot of time and hard work to build staff, parent, and community support to transform schools into neighborhood centers. It took years of staff/parent/community involvement and development, as well as extra resources, to establish Hi-Mount Community School. The “final” draft of a far-reaching neighborhood schools plan affecting the entire city will only be the start of a process that will take years.

As educators, we want the neighborhood schools plan to increase educational opportunities for the children of Milwaukee. When the legislation was introduced last spring, we stated our support for the concept of neighborhood schools and asked lawmakers to consider several related educational elements. Budget constraints prevent MPS from offering all options to all parents without regard to cost. Therefore, we think the Interim Report should be evaluated on the following six elements – with the understanding that priorities must be set within present and future fiscal limits.

1. Quality facilities, appropriate for learning. High standards must be met in expanding classroom seats through building, leasing, or buying additional space. No child should be in a substandard learning environment.
2. Lower class size. The results from the state-funded SAGE program and other studies of significant reduction in class size at the early grades prove what educators and parents have always known – students achieve better when class sizes are smaller. The neighborhood schools plan should support meaningful class size reductions.
3. Expansion and replication of successful specialty schools and programs. Offering parents more access to popular choices can be achieved only if the necessary resources are maintained in existing schools and duplicated in their expansion/replication.
4. Assurance of safe neighborhoods and schools. Parents need to know their children are safe at school and when they travel between home and school. MPS has an enviable record of safe schools, and the plan should enhance this.
5. Continued opportunities for integrated education. The plan should insure this option for city and suburban parents who see the educational benefits of an integrated school setting.
6. Reduction of student mobility. Many students move within the city during the school year. The plan should provide transportation to allow students to complete the year at the same school.

Grappling with what we want in the plan and what we can afford is challenging, and parents especially need to be heard on the tough choices. For example, currently MPS provides bus service for students who attend schools outside their neighborhoods. The proposed change in open enrollment will require parents to provide transportation if they choose to send their children to schools outside their neighborhood. Parent views on this and other major changes need careful consideration.

As educators, we believe the Interim Report gives the entire community a huge homework assignment. Parents and educators, community members and leaders, and local and state policy-makers should carefully review the Interim Report and assess how the plan could improve the city’s public schools. Most importantly, we all need to present our views to the MPS administration and school board.

Superintendent Korté has invited our feedback. Now is the time for the entire community to join the dialog and help define the future of quality public schools in Milwaukee.

Posted May 30, 2000