Board approves Pulaski, Carmen partnership

Pulaski and Carmen students. Photo courtesy of MPS.

MILWAUKEE (October 30, 2015) – The Milwaukee Board of School Directors on Thursday night approved a new partnership between two MPS high schools aimed at bringing the schools together in one building to improve student achievement, school environment and teaching and administrative practices.

The move to create a partnership between Pulaski High School and Carmen High School of Science and Technology – South Campus comes as Milwaukee Public Schools embraces the urgent need to improve student outcomes, particularly at the high school level. Each school brings assets to the partnership and needs that can be addressed by it.

The two schools will now spend the remainder of the 2015-16 school year working together in six working groups: administration, academics and programs, stakeholder relations, principal and school relations, student relations, and facilities and operations. The groups will include board members, school and district administrators, teachers, parents, community members and organizations, students and support staff.

After the planning year, the partnership envisions Pulaski and Carmen each having 200 new freshmen for the 2016-17 school year with each school ultimately serving about 800 students.

Six stipulations were approved along with the partnership:

• The administration will bring back in November a comprehensive program plan that details elements of the partnership, including the plan for implementing International Baccalaureate and other programming designed to improve Pulaski High School, including the timeline for implementation of a comprehensive academic revitalization plan in the Casimir Pulaski facility
• Carmen’s enrollment will be capped at 800 students per year within the Pulaski facility during the duration of its charter contract with MPS
• The lease with Carmen at the Pulaski facility will be executed for the duration of its charter contract, but not to exceed the typical five-year term of charter school contract leases
• There will be continuous enrollment at all grade levels at Pulaski High School without a phase-out or stoppage of enrollment
• The administration will bring back to the Board reports in December and May 2016 on how the partnership is developing, including information on enrollment trends, any changes in space allocations, challenges, and opportunities for further collaboration
• The plan will include keeping the Casimir Pulaski campus name

Under the partnership, current Pulaski students will remain on campus; Carmen students at the MPS charter school’s two existing school sites will remain at those sites as well.

About Milwaukee Public Schools

Milwaukee Public Schools is committed to accelerating student achievement, building positive relationships between youth and adults and cultivating leadership at all levels. The district’s commitment to improvement continues to show results:

• More MPS students are meeting reading standards
• The MPS Class of 2015 earned $39 million in scholarships; and
• MPS is home to 7 of the state’s top high schools according to U.S. News and World Report and the Washington Post.

Learn more about MPS by visiting our website. More MPS news is available at mpsmke.com/news.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

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