Teachers present alternative to MPS mayoral takeover, governor’s plan

Milwaukee Opportunity Plan eliminates superintendent position; establishes business and academic chiefs

Wisconsin and Milwaukee teachers today announced a collaborative plan built on teacher, parent and community input as the alternative to Governor Doyle’s proposed mayoral takeover of Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). The “Milwaukee Opportunity Plan” incorporates low-cost, systemic changes to MPS. Strategies are based on first-hand experiences of teachers and parents on what is needed in Milwaukee classrooms to benefit students, the city and the state.

“Everyone recognizes that there needs to be significant and system-wide change in MPS, but that requires a well thought-out plan supported by those who work in the schools and with the students. We need more than a transfer of power or a few concepts,” said Mike Langyel, president of the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association (MTEA).

Significant systemic recommendations of the detailed Milwaukee Opportunity Plan include:

* establishing a chief academic and business officer rather than a superintendent;

* implementing changes for principals, school board and administration, including ending tenure for all management level employees, redistricting school board seats and enhancing training;

* reducing class sizes for children in four-year-old kindergarten through eighth grade to levels commonplace in other state districts;

* providing intervention and more individualized attention at the 9th grade level, which is when many students are at risk of dropping out of school;

* establishing a consistent curriculum and educational materials across MPS schools to ease the transition for Milwaukee’s students who move frequently;

* ensuring well-supported quality teachers and staff, including mentoring, enhanced recruitment, alternative compensation based on skills and responsibilities, a one-year residency for new teachers, and market incentives for teaching in hard-to-serve schools; and,

* improving school safety in new ways, including re-establishing an alternative school setting for chronic classroom disruptors so that all students get the services they need to succeed, and teachers can spend more time on education and less on discipline.

The plan also embraces several concepts recently tested by the Governor at statewide news conferences earlier this week, such as implementing a longer school day and year, and improving school safety.

“Several of the concepts we, as Wisconsin educators, support are similar to those proposed by the Governor and the Department of Public Instruction. We have been discussing those changes for some time, and we are glad we have some common ground on the MPS solution,” said Mary Bell, president of WEAC. “However, our plan goes much further with specific recommendations on those concepts, and puts the state and MPS on the road to success.”

According to supporters, the Milwaukee Opportunity Plan is the type of blueprint for success that the federal government and its ‘Race to the Top’ initiative expect from states that are committed to serious change and school improvement. Governor Doyle has indicated his intention to apply for that federal funding as soon as it becomes available.

The Milwaukee Opportunity Plan also outlines measures for accountability and marked improvements. Those include regular assessments of student performance; improvements in reading, mathematics, attendance rates, graduation rates and student and parent satisfaction; enhanced teacher recruitment and retention, and more.

The Milwaukee Opportunity Plan was announced at a news conference at the NAACP Milwaukee office. Parents, teachers and community leaders were present and stood in support of system-wide change for MPS.

“Wisconsin teachers want MPS and all schools to be successful and we needed to get a viable alternative on the table,” said Jerry A. Hamilton, president of the NAACP Milwaukee Branch. “We think it is absolutely vital that all Wisconsin schools provide a quality education to all students, and through cultural and system changes at MPS, our District can succeed as so many other Wisconsin districts do.”

The Milwaukee Opportunity Plan also aims to quickly implement reforms, by targeting the Milwaukee schools that need them most. Those schools will be called Opportunity Centers.

“The Milwaukee Opportunity Plan is driven by one mission -- student and community success, said Teresa Thomas-Boyd, a parent of two MPS students. “It meets the unique needs of Milwaukee students and families and targets resources where they are needed most. I think it is the best approach for real change and real success for our children.”

For more information on the Milwaukee Opportunity Plan and to read a full copy of the document, visit www.weac.org/Milwaukee.