MPS Budget Priorities Focus on Students: Protecting Classrooms, Capping Class Sizes, Cutting Central Office Budgets

(MILWAUKEE) — Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius today proposed the district’s priorities for the 2026–27 budget, emphasizing a commitment to protecting classrooms, supporting student learning, and strengthening the district’s long‑term financial health.

MPS students remain at the center of the proposal. To protect teaching and learning, the plan would:

• Limit elementary class sizes to 28 students, with smaller classes in K3-K5 and a middle school cap of 32
• Maintain classroom teaching positions, adjusting staffing only in cases where enrollment has significantly declined (consistent with the district’s longstanding practice)
• Prioritize hiring for historically hard‑to‑staff schools first
• Invest further in the districtwide implementation of the Literacy Plan

“Our budget is a reflection of our values, and for us that begins with students and classrooms,” Dr. Cassellius said. “Even as we confront significant financial challenges, we are making deliberate choices to protect teaching and learning, invest in our staff, and ensure resources are directed where they are needed most. This work requires tough decisions, but it also reflects our commitment to equity and transparency, as we build a stronger future for Milwaukee Public Schools.”

The district is also prioritizing investments in its workforce. Under the priorities, MPS will:

• Negotiate wage increases up to the 2.63% Consumer Price Index, plus steps and lanes, through its standard annual bargaining process.
• Move principals to 12‑month contracts to ensure schools are fully staffed and prepared before the start of the school year, better support summer school, and strengthen professional development.
• Transition some educational assistants positions to 40‑hour roles based on needs for before/after-school safety, special education and literacy support
• Maintain its current health care plan design for 2026–27 while launching a long‑term cost‑reduction study.

These investments accompany ongoing efforts to strengthen recruitment, retention, and workplace culture across the district.

The budget planning process comes as MPS continues to address significant fiscal challenges. After completing three financial audits in 13 months—two of which had been significantly overdue—the district now has a clearer picture of its current financial position. State funding has not kept up with inflation and without voter-supported referenda, the district’s financial position would be considerably worse. The audits have identified an estimated $46 million gap between revenues and expenditures. MPS is working to reduce that imbalance by June 30 to lessen the need for future cuts.

To do so, for the current year, the district will:

• Review unspent funds set aside in the budget
• Freeze non‑essential new positions and contracted services
• Increase participation in federal nutrition programs
• Conduct a study on transportation costs
• Review existing district contracts
• Seek additional reimbursements for high‑cost special education services
• Expand summer school participation
• And fully leverage state and federal grant opportunities to accelerate initiatives

Looking to the next fiscal year, MPS has to evaluate the existing gap, plus the cost of any negotiated wage increases. To address these challenges, the district also plans to:

• Reduce Central Services staffing, contracts and redeploy of resources to schools.
• Create additional savings through an equitable centralized budgeting approach that maintains the district’s class‑size limits.

Next week, the district will also present an update to its capital improvement budget, which will include a substantial proposed investment in schools in a part of the community that has seen historic, decades-long disinvestment. (Capital improvements come from a separate fund that cannot be used for ongoing expenses like salaries or benefits.)

In addition, the district will continue the work of reducing vacancy adjustments, already begun in the fall amended budget for 2025-26, to reduce the district’s reliance on vacant positions to balance its budget.

“These decisions are not easy,” the Superintendent said, “but they reflect our unwavering commitment to putting students first, protecting classrooms, and ensuring the long‑term wellbeing of Milwaukee Public Schools.”

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.