Education is the key to Milwaukee’s future

A sold-out crowd filled the appellate courtroom at Marquette University Law School for  “What Now, Milwaukee? A Forum on the Future of Wisconsin’s Largest City.” Five of Milwaukee’s business, political and education leaders moderated a candid discussion focused on the current issues facing Milwaukee, and solutions to move us toward a future of growth.  The forum was co-sponsored by the Milwaukee Press Club and Marquette University.

Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Gregory Thornton was the first to raise the issue of education, and the need to improve it in order to move the region ahead.

“The code to success is education and economics,” he said. “We need to focus on talent development through quality schools. It is a new world; a new Milwaukee will need to develop the young.”

Thornton has been a fresh voice since arriving at MPS last summer. He boldly threw his support behind the choice and charter systems that operate within the district and encouraged everyone at Wednesday’s forum to look for solutions that include all of the educational options.

He admitted that the $186 million in federal and state education cuts and the current contract with the teachers make providing services to MPS students difficult, but he is not willing to give up. He is looking at leveraging technology so students can develop the skills of tomorrow; reducing the amount of property owned by the district (MPS has already closed and put up 10 schools for sale this year) and researching successful models from other education systems and implementing those strategies in MPS.

Mayor Tom Barrett agreed that education is the biggest issue facing the city and region and that education has to move students beyond high school. He also wants to see a standardized test implemented in Milwaukee at all schools, especially if they accept taxpayer dollars for students.

“They should all take it,” Barrett said. “Why would you not want kids to do that if you want open discussion [of school choice]?”

Tim Sheehy, president of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Association of Commerce, sees the need for an across-the-board standard for all schools, but he isn’t impressed with the Wisconsin Concepts and Knowledge Exam. Sheehy has been one of the loudest voices on expanding school choice and charters and made it known that those options need to move forward.

“We need to explode the myth that baby-steps will get us to the system we need,” Sheehy said. “Schools in choice and charter are able to implement new innovations, technology and teaching methods quicker. And they can cherry-pick the teachers, not the kids.”

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele and Greater Milwaukee Committee President Julia Taylor reiterated the need for improving education partnerships from K12 through the university level.

“We need to connect the dots from school to industry,” Taylor said. She pointed to the Milwaukee-region being a hub for the water, industrial design, medical equipment and financial industries, however noted currently there is a disconnect between those with the skills for those jobs and those who are hiring.

“We need to have articulation agreements between the high schools, colleges and industries,” she added, noting that students need to learn these skills early and have the opportunity to apply them in real-life situations while in school, with the goal to be hired when their education is complete.

And all the talk of cooperation was what Abele campaigned on and he says he would like to see more of in the region, as he’s said before — these aren’t just MPS problems, they are all of our problems. He reflected on his work with schools through the Argosy Foundation saying the most frustrating things are the ideological arguments that surround the topic.

“But I learned one thing. Show me a good school and there is a good leader and good support,” Abele said.