Public Education Advocates Stall School Takeovers
In late November, students, parents, educators, and community members in Milwaukee, Wis. took a step toward victory when Amy Mizialko, a special education teacher and vice president of the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA), urged Chris Abele, the city’s county executive, to commit to only one school takeover—which he did! Mizialko relentlessly asked, “Will you say tonight that you’re one and done?” (see video below) Abele plans to acquire one empty school building and convert it to a private Pre-K charter school. Mizialko wanted assurance that he would not take possession of other empty buildings and “bleed more population and dollars” from Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS).
“I’m not going to take away a school. I’ll do whatever I can to try to help MPS,” Abele said. Abele gave a firm “yes” to only taking one school.
The takeover plan was passed in July 2015 as part of the Wisconsin budget and mirrors similar efforts in Louisiana, Michigan, and Tennessee, which usurp local control as a way to transform struggling schools. Some of these strategies include charter conversion, indiscriminate staff and leadership removal, or school closures.
A recent report on school takeovers by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University and the Southern Education Foundation stated that “These state takeover districts have failed to consistently improve student outcomes, and failed to engage (and invest) communities and educators in any kind of visionary transformation that is needed in our public schools. Without such investment, even initial academic results will falter.”
A Tipping Point
The Wisconsin law transfers control to the county executive’s handpicked commissioner, Dr. Demond Means, superintendent of Mequon-Thiensville, to be the Public Education Advocates Stall School Takeovers - NEA Today: