City Forward Collective
Ending Educational Inequity in Milwaukee
Despite a rise in test scores at Milwaukee Public Schools, City Forward Collective Executive Director Colleston Morgan Jr. tells Spectrum News 1 Wisconsin that the district still has more work to do. Morgan says improving student outcomes will require tackling chronic absenteeism and continuing to strengthen early literacy instruction under Act 20, Wisconsin’s 2023 early literacy law.
MPS reported growth across reading, math, science and social studies in new DPI data, with Bruce Elementary among four schools to gain up to 10 points. CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan Jr. told Spectrum News that lasting progress depends on tackling chronic absenteeism and making sure Act 20 delivers stronger early literacy outcomes.
Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius has acknowledged that school closures must be part of the district’s path forward, and City Forward Collective Executive Director Colleston Morgan says she’s right, while calling out more than a decade of delay by successive school boards. Citing the district’s own data (36 campuses less than half full, 30% of building capacity unused, and 54 buildings overcrowded) alongside a projected $420 million deficit and a $430 million maintenance backlog, Morgan argues that MPS needs a comprehensive rightsizing plan that puts more students in stronger schools and more resources into classrooms instead of empty space.
Wisconsin is one of only nine states still funding special education through reimbursement, and its reimbursement rate ranks lowest among them, according to City Forward Collective’s (CFC) policy brief, The Critical Need for Special Education Reform: A Student-Centered, Fact-Grounded Path Forward. CFC explains how the current system forces schools across all sectors to front tens of thousands of dollars per student while waiting a year or more for partial repayment. It calls on the state to move to a differentiated funding model, improve special education data and reporting, and cover at least 50% of special education costs.
Read the full report below:
CFC North Side Education Crisis BriefDespite historic gains in the last state budget, Milwaukee’s public charter and private school students continue to receive thousands of dollars less per student than their MPS peers, according to City Forward Collective’s (CFC) funding brief, Fair & Equal Per-Pupil Funding. The brief finds that unequal funding will cost Milwaukee’s schools more than $182 million this year, and projects that gaps could grow to 33–50% within five years without action. It calls on state leaders to protect recent progress, close funding gaps from the bottom up, and prioritize the state’s youngest and most vulnerable learners in the 2025–27 budget.
Read the full report below:
CFC_Funding_Brief_Fair_Equal_Per-Pupil_Funding
Wisconsin’s School & District Report Cards are giving families a misleading picture of how students and schools are performing, according to City Forward Collective’s (CFC) policy brief, High Standards, Accountability, & Performance Transparency. The brief finds that statewide, just over half of students met the state’s lowered standards, yet 93% of Wisconsin’s school districts were rated as meeting or exceeding expectations. It calls on lawmakers to restore rigorous, nationally aligned standards, grade all schools on a uniform scale that weighs proficiency and growth equally, and release clear results to families by August 15 each year.
Read the full report below:
CFC_Policy_Brief_High_Standards_Accountability_Transparency-1Stay informed on the latest in education with our comprehensive weekly newsletter covering breaking news, policy analysis, and data-driven insights from Executive Director Colleston Morgan, Jr.
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