MILWAUKEE — Voters in Milwaukee will soon decide on a $252 million referendum to increase revenue for Milwaukee Public Schools.
MPS Superintendent Dr. Keith Posley told Wisconsin’s Afternoon News on Thursday that everything from art and music to library services and school counselors are in jeopardy.
“What we’re trying to do is to maintain the plan that we have in place,” he said. “We’re not going out asking for something new and innovative; I would have a list a mile long if that was the case.”
Dr. Posley said everything is on the table: A $200 million budget deficit means the district will see 13% cuts at the school level and 26% cuts at the central administration building.
A lack of education funding is impacting schools all across Wisconsin — state funding for public schools hasn’t kept pace with inflation since 2009, and 85% of schools in Wisconsin have recently gone to referendum in response to budget deficits.
“Even if I close 156 different schools — all of the schools in the district — we still would have a shortfall,” said Dr. Posley. “We have schools right now in our portfolio that have been closed for some time now. We still have to upkeep those buildings.”
MPS doesn’t own its properties, but state laws require the district to take care of shuttered schools by heating buildings, cutting grass and keeping up with other maintenance. Only after a building has been available for sale to private schools for two years can the city sell the building to other interested parties.
If passed on April 2nd, the referendum would raise city property taxes over four years. Homeowners would see an estimated increase of $216 per $100,000 of assessed property value at the end of this calendar year with taxes remaining flat after the first year.
