News
October 23, 2024 | By Benjamin Yount
Policy Issues
Education

Bob Donovan: Time for Milwaukee, MPS to Start Delivering

"We've given Milwaukee the tools," state Rep. Bob Donovan.

One of Milwaukee’s former aldermen, who is now a state lawmaker, says it is time for both Milwaukee and its school system to stop waiting around.

Rep. Bob Donovan, R-Greenfield, on Wednesday said the city of Milwaukee has all it needs to get its fiscal house in order.

“I'm proud of the fact that we were able to keep Milwaukee out of bankruptcy court, that was needed. We saved the pension system, which a lot of elderly folks were counting on. So, I'm proud of that,” Donovan explained to News Talk 1130 WISN’s Jay Weber Wednesday morning. “Having said that, we've given Milwaukee the tools.”

Donovan said that includes last year’s shared revenue agreement that sent nearly $22 million to Milwaukee, plus a new citywide sales tax that netted the city $184 million since the beginning of the year.

“Now it's time that they start delivering,” Donovan said. “Most of these issues revolve around local leadership, and sadly in my opinion, that's not occurring to the level it needs to occur.”

Donovan had similar criticisms for Milwaukee Public Schools.

“I look at MPS, not just with the SROs the school resource officers, but all the continued failures. In so many ways, we're not getting our money's worth,” Donovan added. “We have an obligation to ensure that this system is doing the absolute best and spending every penny properly and wisely.”

Donovan spent years pushing for more accountability from MPS when he was a Milwaukee alderman, and as a state lawmaker he was instrumental in getting Gov. Tony Evers to agree to a full financial audit of the city’s schools.

But Donovan said that audit has now become another excuse for MPS to do nothing.

“It's incumbent upon the state to step-in,” Donovan said. “We browbeat the governor to finally agree to an audit, but you know that's not coming out until next spring. I believe [MPS] used the decision to call for an artist as a way to delay steps that I think should have occurred right off the bat.”

MPS has yet to turn-in its 2023 financial report that was due in September of last year. The district is also on pace to be late with its financial report for the current school year.

Those delays have already cost Milwaukee Public Schools nearly $80 million.

Donovan is also waiting for Milwaukee Public Schools to bring school resource officers back into the school buildings. The same shared revenue law that benefitted Milwaukee said the city’s schools were supposed to have those officers back on January 1st, but that hasn’t happened.

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