Do not ignore us!

With two plans to reform the governance and control of Milwaukee Public Schools on the table, the State Senate Education Committee landed in Milwaukee Tuesday morning to receive public comment on whether MPS should be run by the city’s mayor or continue to be controlled by the elected school board.

The public hearing was the fulfillment of committee chairman John Lehman’s (D-Racine) promise to not call for a  vote on any legislative change to MPS without input from those affected — the parents, students and citizens in the MPS district.

After three hours of testimony from sponsors of a bill demanding the full mayoral takeover of the board (Senate Bill 405) and an opposing bill (LRB 4037/1) calling for limited mayoral input, members of the public were given a chance to comment, and the battle lines were obvious.

The majority of speakers were opposed to SB 405 and behind State Representative Annette “Polly” Williams’ demand that the residents, parents and students within MPS be heard, just as residents in other parts of the state are listened to when they don’t like non-local decisions being made for their schools.

“There are a number of out-of-state legislators who also said they don’t support this, because they don’t want this happening in their community,” Williams said. “We have organized, and the community has spoken and we have been ignored. We have been ignored. And I’m saying to this committee, please do not ignore us. Hear what we are saying. We represent the citizens of Milwaukee, the overwhelming number of students — African-Americans and Hispanic students; listen to us. In this instance, for some reason, the side that wants to take over our school district is ignoring us. They’re dividing our community.”

Williams took issue with the TEACH Act, or SB 405,  sponsored by Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milw.) and Rep. Pedro Colon (D-Milw.). Bill 405 would hand control of MPS to the mayor. It would allow the mayor to handpick a new superintendent, accountable only to him. It would also make the mayor solely responsible for the school’s budget and achievement standards. The school board would be left intact, but with its duties reduced.

Other members of the public spoke against SB 405, claiming it was discriminatory toward minorities who have historically struggled for a vote. Jerry Ann Hamilton, president of the Milwaukee branch of the NAACP, was insulted by the bill’s insinuation that the majority of citizens in Milwaukee are too incompetent or incapable of having input into their children’s education.

Peter Knotek, president of the Racine Educational Association, stood in solidarity with Milwaukee teachers and educators who oppose SB 405, saying that an educational vision can’t be imposed on a school district through legislative fiat.

“This provides no coherent plan for transforming MPS to close achievement gaps and improve teaching and learning for all students. Top-down, simplistic ideas such as those provided in bill 405 will impede or stop progress completely in Milwaukee.  The focus should be on coherent and coordinated actions, especially in a school district torn apart by decades of racial discrimination,” Knotek said.

While many opposed SB405, others praised it, saying it would provide a single point of accountability that is needed to change the culture of MPS and provide for the civil rights of students. Others said reforming MPS is not simply a Milwaukee issue, but a statewide one.

“There is no consensus among the Milwaukee delegation (for reform) and this will need true leadership,” Darryl Morin of the League of Latin American Citizens said. “Secondly, you are involved. This past budget passed in July, you awarded $1 billion to MPS, the question is are we getting the bang for our buck?”

Taylor and Colon emphasized they wanted passage of their bill before Jan. 19, the deadline to apply for President Obama’s Race to the Top federal dollars. Wisconsin could be eligible to receive up to $50 million from Washington to enact educational changes to improve failing schools.  They said that  passage of SB 405 would demonstrate to Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan that Wisconsin is serious about changing how it runs and accounts for its schools.

“One of the things we have to show is that the change will be consistent and maintained and that is one of the problems of our present system,” Taylor said. “The people making the Race to the Top decisions are seeking evidence of a massive institutional change that will add weight to the application.”

But both sides emphasized that neither of their proposed legislative changes is needed to apply or receive the federal dollars.

In recent weeks, a new twist has been introduced to the Taylor/Colon plan — a public referendum on the continuance of mayoral control of MPS. However, the referendum couldn’t be exercised until 2017, almost seven years after the mayoral takeover would begin. At that time, if citizens were unhappy with the mayoral control of MPS, they could theoretically vote to return to the current form of MPS governance.

“This is an issue of utmost importance. An education is the number one tool we can give our students to overcome the challenges of poverty to become the greatest,” Taylor said. “First, the governing structure of MPS is structurally broken and has not and cannot rise to meet the challenges placed before it. Secondly, Wisconsin must take a step to change the government structure with a model that has worked to produce marked change and improvement in the educational outcomes of children.”

Taylor said having the mayor, who is elected on a four-year cycle, control the superintendent, budget and curriculum choices, would provide more consistency in the leadership of the district. The elected school board would be stripped of responsibility and given oversight of parental involvement.

“The need and value of the elected board is recognized. The board will create and  manage all aspects of parental involvement, after-school, community programming and pupil discipline. In addition, the board would be able to advise on the selection of a superintendent and the matter of instruction of pupils,” Taylor added.

But this level of control by the mayor and loss of control by the school board does not have wide support among the citizens who use MPS, mainly African-American and Hispanic parents and constituents. Because of that, Rep. Tamara Grigsby (D-Milw.) and Sen. Spencer Coggs (D-Milw.) explained their proposal, RACE for Success, to the committee. The Grigsby/Coggs bill would give the mayor a say in the governance of MPS, allowing him to interview and choose a superintendent, but maintaining veto power over the superintendent with the board. RACE for Success would also call for a partnership between the mayor, city council and school board for budgeting and other policy objectives. Overall, the board would remain in control of the school system, with a mandated partnership including the mayor.

Milwaukee Council President Willie Hines opposes Grigsby and Coggs’ bill, saying a direct line to the mayor will help MPS.

“Based on all standards, MPS is a failing system. We need something to change it at the leadership level,” Hines said. “The current educational system is unsustainable and our kids are falling further and further behind. Where is the direct line of accountability? If we pass Senate bill 405 we will have a direct line to the mayor’s office. And some would ask why the mayor’s office? First of all, I would say the mayor’s office is the flagship office of the city,with the capacity to leverage resources both internal and external. He is able to leverage relationships with non-profits, businesses and universities. We must act now.”

The lack of consensus between the speakers did not surprise Sen. Bob Jauch (D-Poplar). He told both sides that there is no significant support for either plan in the Senate or Assembly and that passage is unlikely at this time.

“At the heart of the matter we are at an impasse,” Jauch said. “Under an impasse, no changes will occur. I will ask the question, if the legislature does nothing, if we don’t find a way to exercise the will to enact meaningful reform that can become part of  the legislation, will we not be derelict in our duty? And number two, what will it take to move use now, both sides, to a compromise that is meaningful so we’re not arguing about who is more right, but what is right? ”

Neither side had an answer for Jauch but continued to advocate for solutions to an ever-increasing problem well into the evening.

Will there be a vote before Jan. 19 to drastically reform MPS?  Stay tuned.

Download Lena Taylor‘s audio testimony from the public hearing on Jan. 5, 2010.

Download Tamara Grigsby‘s audio testimony from the public hearing on Jan. 5, 2010.

Download Tom Barrett‘s audio testimony from the public hearing on Jan. 5, 2010.