MILWAUKEE – Ahead of a special meeting of the Milwaukee Public Schools Board of School Directors aiming to address the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s threat to withhold funding over missing financial reports, the district has hired a financial consultant to construct a path forward for the district.
Todd Gray previously consulted with the Glendale-River Hills School District as they navigated their own financial problems. He also served as Superintendent of the Waukesha School District from 2008 to 2020, and was the interim Superintendent for the Palmyra-Eagle School District from 2020 to 2023.
A public notice from the district notes Gray will be paid up to 48,000 dollars for his services between now and July.
The hire comes ahead of a much-anticipated public meeting of the MPS Board of School Directors this evening, during which the board is expected to address the employment status of Superintendent Dr. Keith Posley. So far, Posley has not commented to the media on the missing financial reports, which DPI says have not been submitted since last September.
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Last Thursday, DPI Executive Director Succhin Chheda told WTMJ every other school district in Wisconsin has submitted their financial information and MPS has historically been reliable to do the same. Going forward, the DPI will be expecting a plan from MPS on how they are going to submit the relevant financial information. According to Chheda, the two organizations have been in contact with each other and he feels confident that a solution is possible.
The district has come under heavy scrutiny from local organizations in the wake of the DPI letter, as well as the withholding of federal funding for the Head Start program due to allegations of mistreatment. In a statement Thursday, Milwaukee Metropolitan Association of Commerce Director of Communications Ryan Amundson said the organization a deep, independent performance audit of the district must be conducted, and the results made public.Â
“Our students are told to complete their work and turn it in on time. MPS administration needs to be held to that same standard” said Amundson.
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