MPS Board makes decisions regarding schools' futures

MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Public School District Board voted Tuesday night to close some schools, and expand others. The Board took final action on this matter, after months of debate and emotional pleas from students who don't want their child's school closing after this school year.

In a unanimous vote Tuesday, the school board saved <runtime:topic id="PEHST000097">George Washington Carver</runtime:topic> Academy from closing - a complete 180 from the original recommendations to close the school for good. Instead, the school will enter a one year limited enrollment phase before applying to become a charter school. Board members hope this will better serve the community.

Some other schools weren't so lucky Tuesday night. Some of next school year's closures will come from contracts for charter schools either being mutually terminated or canceled, primarily due to poor student performance. As for the non-charter schools, <runtime:topic id="PEHST000331">John Burroughs</runtime:topic> Middle School and Sixty-fifth Street School are being closed due to low performance and enrollment. The program at Sixty-eighth Street School will be relocated as the building is too old and too costly to repair.

On the other side of the aisle, promised expansions of several successful programs have many parents excited. Hamland Garland Elementary, Hayes Bilingual Elementary, McDowell Montessori, and <runtime:topic id="PEHST001327">Golda Meir</runtime:topic> School will all move into bigger buildings and greatly expand their programs.  It`s a sign the MPS District and, more specifically, these schools` teachers are doing something right.  For some parents this news helps to offset the painful closures of other facilities.

Two other issues being discussed Tuesday night included launching a study to look at opening a high school for safety and criminal justice, and a cost-saving measure: phasing out or eliminating all non-mandated city-wide busing for MPS high school students.

For detailed information on exactly which schools will close or expand, follow Milwaukee Public Schools on Twitter, or visit the MPS website.

The following is a quick guide from MPS Communications Director Roseann St. Aubin regarding Tuesday night's Board decisions and what next school year will bring for certain schools:

The following schools will close at the end of the current school year (June 2012):

The following changes will go into effect at the end of the current school year (June 2012):

The following charter schools also received contract renewals:  Alliance and Carmen.