Uppity Wisconsin

An MPS School

Email I sent to my State Rep Jon Richards and Senator Jeff Plale about the Governor's move to take the voter out of policy making at Milwaukee Public Schools.

I am not happy about the attempt to take power from the citizens of Milwaukee to run our schools. At best Madison should not make that move without asking us first. We seem to have a board that is becoming more transparent and responsible. And I am one who watched over the years with great dismay when outside forces attempted to dominate the schools with privatization policies that were not acceptable to the electorate.

Removing the vote from the people puts that critical power back into the hands of one person, and we have no guarantee who that will be in the short term or the long term. Appointments would likely be made according to the political judgment of one person, perhaps a campaign contributor, or someone deemed an expert in education because he or she has worked in a think tank for one interest or another. Doyle is going too far and this is beginning to feel like Milwaukee is going under siege by outstate forces we cannot understand. Like the cry after 9/11 "why do they hate us?" rings in my head.

Put the mayor in a chair at the school board meetings, give him one vote if he attends, and raise the dignity of service on the school board by his participation, pay the board members full time so that they spend their days in the schools meeting principals and finding out what they need. As it stands the board is built for failure because it is not a full time job, but I dare say it probably takes more time than most elected offices. I have had friends who served on the board and the task is dreadfully demanding, no part time job except for the rare volunteer-minded, or the not-so-rare agenda ridden partisan. Cutting the wings of the board by making it a complaint center is only a step away from hiring staff to do the same thing (and saving money).

And it is money that drives this strategy, even though we have it clearly from Gwen Moore and Arnie Duncan that mayoral control is not essential. And it is not a lot of money after all. For $10 million we will sell our vote?

Sincerely

Bill Sell