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A poll commissioned by City Forward Collective found that 59% of Milwaukee voters support consolidating Milwaukee Public Schools to stabilize the district’s finances—with voters preferring consolidation over a new funding referendum by a 26-point margin. The survey also revealed that 61% of voters support creating a state-level oversight body to ensure MPS accountability.

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One year after discovering lead hazards across Milwaukee Public Schools, the district has finished remediation work at approximately 100 schools. Colleston Morgan, Executive Director of City Forward Collective, expressed that while he’s relieved the work is complete, “this got to a point where it was a crisis. This was one that we could have seen coming. We should have seen coming.” The district will now implement routine inspections three times yearly to ensure the protective coatings hold up.

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Milwaukee Public Schools seeks $252 million in additional funding through an April 2 referendum, arguing that closing underutilized schools wouldn’t save enough to avoid the tax increase. With 36 schools operating below 70% capacity, district leaders say the geographic distribution of enrollment makes consolidation difficult and the savings insufficient to offset the funding gap.

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In this opinion piece, Colleston Morgan Jr., Executive Director of City Forward Collective, issues a sharp critique of the educational crisis in Milwaukee following dismal NAEP results. He highlights that nine out of ten Black fourth-graders in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) lack basic math skills, such as identifying even and odd numbers. Morgan argues that despite record funding exceeding $1.5 billion, the district continues to fail its students while state leaders “gaslight” the public by lowering expectations. He calls for urgent, bold leadership and a move away from “Milwaukee nice” deflection to prioritize the academic success of the city’s children.

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In an interview with Jim Cowen, Colleston Morgan Jr., the executive director of the Milwaukee-based City Forward Collective, criticizes the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s decision to lower academic standards. He argues that reducing “cut scores” muddies the reality of student performance and makes it impossible to compare data year-over-year. While acknowledging the importance of student motivation, Morgan contends that “lying” to students about their preparedness only sets them up for failure against national standards.

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In this opinion piece for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Colleston Morgan Jr., Executive Director of City Forward Collective, argues that Wisconsin must move past its outdated school funding model to ensure every child has the resources to thrive.

The article outlines a vision for bipartisan cooperation to build on recent progress and implement a student-centered approach similar to states like Florida and Tennessee.

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