MacIver News Service – [Milwaukee, Wisc…] Between salary and benefits, 17 painters working for Milwaukee Public Schools pull in around $98,000 a year, on average.
That staggering figure came to light as MPS is facing some significant budget decisions. The district is looking to cut $33 million from the annual budget and could layoff more than 680 employees.
The district administration had proposed eliminating 15 of the 17 skilled-trade painting positions, but the school board rejected the measure during a budget committee meeting last week.
The MPS Board has said it wants to institute cuts in a way that minimizes the impact on classroom instruction. However when presented with an opportunity to trim non-classroom labor costs, they rejected the plan; instead choosing to impose furloughs on all ‘non critical’ personnel. The move saved the painters’ nearly $100,000 per-year jobs.
The MPS Board deliberations are continuing, with a final vote on the annual budget in two weeks. MacIver’s Bill Osmulski reports here…