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.
City Forward Collective Executive Director Colleston Morgan Jr. reflects on Elm Creative Arts School, his elementary school, now half-empty and ranked among the state’s lowest-performing schools. He argues that MPS needs to close or consolidate about 30 schools, not five. Enrollment is down roughly 30% from its peak, yet MPS still runs 138 schools, and 36 of them are less than half full. Colleston argues that student outcomes should help decide which schools close and that for every child affected, what comes next has to be better.
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.
Following extreme heat that forced class cancellations on the second day of school, Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius has proposed a $12 million plan to add air conditioning and air quality sensors to all district classrooms, 74% of which currently lack cooling. However, Colleston Morgan of City Forward Collective criticized district leadership for delaying critical infrastructure decisions, noting that the board previously voted down a 2021 air conditioning proposal and chose to spend federal pandemic relief funds on outdoor playgrounds instead, leaving MPS with a $430 million maintenance backlog and a $50 million deficit.
City Fund is a philanthropic organization that invests in locally rooted “Education Champions” to drive lasting public education reform tailored to the specific needs of individual cities. As one of these local partners, City Forward Collective addresses educational inequities in Milwaukee by advocating for funding equity and accountability across public district, charter, and parental-choice schools. Led by Colleston Morgan Jr., City Forward Collective leverages data, policy briefs, and public engagement—such as radio spots and community reports—to mobilize civic support, successfully securing roughly $400 million in new funding to support Milwaukee’s students and schools. Read more
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