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Twenty-two of Wisconsin’s 50 lowest-performing schools are concentrated on Milwaukee’s North Side, according to a comprehensive new analysis released today by City Forward Collective (CFC). The report, Milwaukee’s North Side Education Crisis: A Generation of Failure Demands Action, reveals that only 18% of North Side students — among the nearly 55,000 enrolled — attend schools meeting City Forward Collective’s definition of high quality, making the area ground zero for Wisconsin’s largest-in-the-nation Black-White academic achievement gaps. Dr. Howard Fuller, former Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent, said the findings demand urgent action: “For decades, we have failed to ensure that our children on the North Side of Milwaukee get the quality education they need and deserve. The data contained in this document is DEVASTATING! The question is, when will we muster the political will to change this unacceptable reality for our children? It’s time to quit making excuses and living in denial. We MUST act NOW!”

Read the full report below:

CFC North Side Education Crisis Brief

Superintendent Brenda Cassellius outlined a multi-pronged approach to address Milwaukee Public Schools’ $46 million budget deficit, emphasizing that “Our budget is a reflection of our values, and for us that begins with students and classrooms.” Her plan includes reviewing unspent funds, freezing non-essential positions, increasing federal nutrition program participation, studying transportation costs, and reducing central office staffing. She aims to reduce the imbalance by June 30 while maintaining elementary class caps at 28 students and middle school caps at 32.

However, Colleston Morgan Jr. of City Forward Collective, a nonprofit advocacy group, raised significant long-term concerns, warning that “The district projects a cumulative deficit of $420 million by the end of the 2030-31 school year if it continues on its current trajectory.” While acknowledging the board’s proposed cuts, Morgan suggests the school system faces more serious structural challenges ahead.

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Colleston Morgan Jr., executive director of City Forward Collective, discusses challenges to Wisconsin’s school funding formula. As head of an advocacy group focused on addressing inequity in education, Morgan joined Spectrum News 1 to examine how the current funding allocation impacts property taxes and educational equity across the state.

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Milwaukee Public Schools is seeking a $252 million tax referendum on April 2 before finalizing plans to close or consolidate underutilized schools. District leaders argue closure savings wouldn’t significantly address the budget crisis, but Colleston Morgan Jr, Executive Director of City Forward Collective, disagrees. Morgan says MPS is “putting the cart before the horse” by asking voters to raise taxes without first presenting the public with specific options for right-sizing the district. The decision contrasts sharply with other Southeast Wisconsin districts like Wauwatosa and Kenosha, which have already acted on school consolidation plans.

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