Healy calls the MPS school board’s poison pill plan insincere and disheartening
[Madison, Wis…] Children and families trapped in the lowest performing schools in Milwaukee were dealt a serious setback today when the MPS board rejected a modest reform proposal put forward by the leaders of the Opportunity Schools Partnership Program (OSPP).The decision, announced in a statement on Friday, comes less than one week before a June 23 deadline before which MPS must decide if they will partner with Dr. Demond Means and the OSPP.
“Today’s announcement by MPS speaks volumes about the district’s priorities. The so-called adults at MPS are more interested in waging a public relations war and their petty political turf battle than what is in the best interests of the children of Milwaukee,” said Brett Healy, president of the MacIver Institute.
“The MPS press release tries to distract the public from the real problem by citing statistics for the top-performing students in the district,” Healy said. “The turnaround plan is not about the MPS students who have earned scholarships. The turnaround plan is about the students who have the unfortunate luck of being trapped in the poorest performing schools in MPS.”
According to the Department of Public Instruction, 28,000 MPS students attend a school that fails to meet expectations, or almost 40 percent of all the students in MPS.
“This is clearly an attempt by Dr. Driver and the MPS school board to obfuscate the horrible state of education in Milwaukee. The children of Milwaukee do not have the time for pointless political games. We need real advocates who are committed to helping all the children of Milwaukee, not just the chosen few who are lucky enough to attend Rufus King or Riverside,” Healy said.
“It is truly a sad day for the future of Milwaukee and the entire state when the MPS school board decides it is more important to protect their political fiefdom than do what is right for the children.”
Download the news release here.