Community Opposes OSPP Forced Sale of Vacant MPS Building to Military-Style Voucher School Under Pending FBI Investigation for Abuse
The forced sale of the former MPS property at 500 E. Center St. falls under a section of the Opportunity Schools Partnership Program that was included in the 2015-2017 budget.
Milwaukee – (July 27, 2016) – Schools and Communities United, a coalition of community, labor, student and civic organizations in Milwaukee is standing together with our Riverwest and Harambee neighbors in their fight against a proposal that would force the sale of a vacant Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) building to Right Step Inc. at the Milwaukee Board of Zoning Appeals (BOZA) committee on Thursday, July 28. BOZA will be taking up a contract with Right Step Military School in what could be the first vacant city property forcibly transferred under the Opportunity Schools Partnership Program to a private operator.
Milwaukee parents and neighbors plan to express concerns about the safety and welfare of students that would attend this all-male military-based voucher school, among them a pending FBI investigation for abuse, how the sale would affect the surrounding properties, and parking concerns that would lead to unsafe pedestrian and traffic patterns.
Who: Schools and Communities United, neighbors from Riverwest and Harambee
Where: The Milwaukee Board of Zoning Appeals (BOZA) committee at Milwaukee City Hall, Room 301A
When: Thursday, July 28 at 4:30 p.m.
What: Community members testify against the forced sale of a vacant MPS building to an all-male, military-based voucher school under pending FBI investigation for abuse.
Background
The forced sale of the former MPS property at 500 E. Center St. falls under a section of the Opportunity Schools Partnership Program that was included in the 2015-2017 budget. The state law forces the City of Milwaukee to sell vacant MPS buildings without a thorough democratic political process.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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Based on what conservative media outlets have been saying for a long time, I always thought it was liberals who love frivolous lawsuits, but WILL is the most sue-happy group I’ve ever seen. I get that they support OSPP and school choice, but why are they fighting so hard for a school that’s under investigation for abuse and has absolutely atrocious academic performance?