The Milwaukee Public Schools Board will vote Monday night on Superintendent Brenda Cassellius’ plan to cut more than 260 non-classroom jobs.
The Milwaukee Public Schools Board will vote Monday night on Superintendent Brenda Cassellius’s budget proposals that would eliminate more than 260 non-classroom positions to help close a $46 million structural deficit.
The reductions, targeting central office and school-based administrative roles such as assistant principals and deans, would save about $30 million for the 2026-27 school year. Roughly 40 of the positions are already vacant, and no classroom teachers would be cut, though declining enrollment could lead to fewer teaching slots.
The proposals come as MPS faces rising costs with no increase in state general aid. Officials noted the recent voter-approved referendum provided some relief for arts, physical education, mental health and career programs, yet falls short of covering inflationary pressures.
Critics point to a pattern of fiscal mismanagement. The district has repeatedly failed to report required financial data to the state Department of Public Instruction on time, triggering multiple rounds of withheld state aid totaling tens of millions of dollars in recent years. In 2024 and 2025, DPI docked MPS more than $16 million — and at times far more — over late or incomplete submissions, forcing the resignation of a prior superintendent and prompting legislative scrutiny.
Despite these transparency failures, MPS received hundreds of millions in federal COVID-19 relief funds, including roughly $772 million in ESSER grants. Much of that one-time windfall went to temporary expansions in staffing and programs that proved unsustainable once the money dried up, contributing to the current shortfall.
Voters narrowly approved a $252 million operating referendum in April 2024, allowing the district to exceed state revenue limits and hike property taxes. The measure passed by just 1,720 votes, or 51% to 49%, even as MPS already spends more than $18,000 per pupil — among the highest rates for large urban districts nationwide — while posting some of the state’s worst academic outcomes.
Monday’s special board meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at central office. Affected employees will be encouraged to apply for open classroom positions.
