MTEA Joins Growing Coalition in Opposition to AB 245

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association (MTEA) joined a growing coalition of community organizations including Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT), Black Leaders Organizing Communities (BLOC), Citizen Action of Wisconsin, Schools and Communities United, Parents for Public Schools and the Alliance for Youth Action in opposition to a bill announced last week by Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, Milwaukee Mayor Chevy Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley that would make policy attacks on the people of Milwaukee in exchange for a minimal increase in shared revenue and the ability to raise our own sales taxes.

“It is puzzling that Mayor Johnson and County Executive Crowley would stand with Robin Vos at all, but to do so to seemingly offer support for such a blatant attack on our local communities is unfathomable,” said MTEA President Amy Mizialko. “The mayor would have the perspective of MTEA and our 5,300 members if he kept his campaign promise to meet with MPS workers on a regular basis rather than spending his time getting schemed by Robin Vos to attack our city and our public schools in exchange for a pittance and the ability to saddle our most vulnerable residents with more regressive taxation.”

While under the bill many areas around the state would see upwards of 100% and in some cases more than 5,000% increases in shared revenue, Milwaukee would receive the bare minimum 10% increase. Instead of getting our fair share back from the state, the City and Milwaukee County would be allowed to vote to raise our own sales tax to nearly 8% in exchange for a right-wing wish list of policy attacks on Milwaukee, including a mandate that Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) contract with the Milwaukee Police Department to put 25 armed police officers in schools across MPS and requiring MPS to pay for a large portion of it with no new allocation of funds.

“Public school families, students and educators in rural, suburban and city schools have spoken with one clear voice that our students deserve a state budget that invests in their academic and social emotional learning by increasing the number of certified teachers, social workers, counselors and paraprofessionals available to support them,” said Mizialko. “Research shows that putting armed police in schools does not make students or workers safer. Rather, the presence of armed police in schools is associated with lower student attendance, increased suspensions, failure to graduate on time and increased arrests of students for nonviolent disruptions.”

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.