Milwaukee Public Schools: Budget priorities revealed by district

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius proposed on Friday, Feb. 6, the district’s priorities for the 2026–27 budget. 

A news release says Cassellius emphasized "a commitment to protecting classrooms, supporting student learning, and strengthening the district’s long‑term financial health."

Budget priorities revealed

What we know:

Officials said in the news release that MPS students remain at the center of the proposal. To protect teaching and learning, the plan would:  

• Limit elementary class sizes to 28 students, with smaller classes in K3-K5 and a middle school cap of 32
• Maintain classroom teaching positions, adjusting staffing only in cases where enrollment has significantly declined (consistent with the district’s longstanding practice)
• Prioritize hiring for historically hard‑to‑staff schools first
• Invest further in the districtwide implementation of the Literacy Plan

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

Prioritizing investments

Dig deeper:

The district is also prioritizing investments in its workforce. Under the priorities, MPS says it will:

• Negotiate wage increases up to the 2.63% Consumer Price Index, plus steps and lanes, through its standard annual bargaining process.
• Move principals to 12‑month contracts to ensure schools are fully staffed and prepared before the start of the school year, better support summer school, and strengthen professional development.
• Transition some educational assistants positions to 40‑hour roles based on needs for before/after-school safety, special education and literacy support
• Maintain its current health care plan design for 2026–27 while launching a long‑term cost‑reduction study.

The budget planning process comes as MPS continues to address significant fiscal challenges. After completing three financial audits in 13 months—two of which had been significantly overdue—district officials say they now have a clearer picture of its current financial position.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

The news release says the audits have identified an estimated $46 million gap between revenues and expenditures. MPS is working to reduce that imbalance by June 30 to lessen the need for future cuts.  

Looking to the next fiscal year, MPS has to evaluate the existing gap, plus the cost of any negotiated wage increases. To address these challenges, the district also plans to:

• Reduce Central Services staffing, contracts and redeploy of resources to schools.
• Create additional savings through an equitable centralized budgeting approach that maintains the district’s class‑size limits.

What's next:

Next week, the district will also present an update to its capital improvement budget, which will include a substantial proposed investment in schools in a part of the community that has seen historic, decades-long disinvestment.