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Milwaukee Public Schools budget passes
The Milwaukee Public Schools board passed a $1.5 billion balanced budget on Tuesday night, June 24.
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Board of School Directors passed on Tuesday night, June 24 a $1.5 billion balanced budget for the FY26 school year.
$1.5 billion budget approved
What we know:
The FY26 budget will put the financial resources in place to prioritize literacy instruction across the district, combat chronic student absenteeism, strengthen engagement with families, restructure Central Services, and accelerate teacher recruitment efforts to fill open classroom educator positions.
A news release says the budget is the first to be submitted by MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, who started in mid-March.
Dig deeper:
The proposed budget includes $16 million allocated to help lead cleanup, money to invest in cost-of-living raises for all staff members, increased funding for individual schools and safety enhancements.
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The topic of safety was one of the big points of discussion for people who took part in the public comment period on Tuesday evening. Members of the nonprofit group "Leaders Igniting Transformation" or LIT spoke on the need for more mental health resources in the proposal – as a means to keep students safe.
What they're saying:
"Invest in hiring more counselours, support staffs and therapists so the emotional labor doesn’t just fall on teachers… Major investments outside of athletics and policing in our students," said Amber West, High School Manager LIT.
"I don’t think we have enough counselors and social workers. And we just really need the resources.. And we need to be able to do a deep dive… to find out where the tradeoffs are," said MPS Superintedent Brenda Cassillius. "$100 million deficit and I plan on coming to the community and say where are our priorities and then how are we going to pay for that with what we have."
Dig deeper:
The referendum passed by voters in 2024 helped cover a shortfall for 2026. But the superintendent acknowledges the district might have to make some tough decisions in the coming years – as it faces uncertainty and possible federal funding cuts.
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MPS submits financial reports to state, missed multiple deadlines
MPS, after missing multiple deadlines, announced that it has submitted required financial reports to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
The Source: FOX6 News produced this story with information from previous coverage of MPS and the district's finance and budget process.