A Do-Over Is Needed on the $252 Million MPS Referendum [WRN VOICES]

By Steve Ewing

Time to throw the challenge flag on the MPS referendum. Recently, voters in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties passed a referendum to increase the tax levy by $252 million to fund the work of the Milwaukee Public Schools. The measure passed by a razor-thin margin, a little over 1,700 votes. The district said they needed the money to expand social and emotional learning to support academic growth as well as improve culture and climate. Referendum funding has been used to enhance recruitment and hiring efforts for school counselors, psychologists, social workers, and nurses.

That’s what they told us. What they didn’t tell us was the district was in serious problems in a number of areas. These issues were known by the superintendent, the COO, and others.  Questions remain about what the board knew. If these problems had been brought to light before the election, the public might well have voted differently, and the referendum might well have failed.

Then, there is the component of deaf ears to the problem. When Former Deputy Superintendent Calvin Fermin tried to warn people how bad then Superintendent Posley was in his 2021 resignation letter, nobody listened, and the school board did nothing about it. Blame it on mismanagement incompetence or something more sinister if you like. 

That’s all water over the dam now, but the superintendent and all top-level management knew for some time that the district was in noncompliance with DPI requirements and was under scrutiny by the federal government for irregularities regarding Head Start. No one made the voting public aware of these problems. I believe a do-over is in order.

Time to throw the red challenge flag and demand another vote. That’s right, a Do-Over! The problems that were hidden from the public eye were, after all, severe enough to cause Keith Posley to resign in disgrace, much like Tom Ament was forced to leave the County Board some 22 years ago.

Fair business practices would dictate before selling a pig, even if it’s in a poke, that any severe deficiencies in the pig’s health condition could and should be disclosed to prospective buyers before the sale, considering that the seller, in this case, is a government entity. Talk about transparency and trust. They rammed the referendum through before the facts could get to the voting public! I think it’s high time to introduce a direct ballot initiative to nullify or override the results of the recent referendum based on information that was either held back knowingly or swept under the rug in advance by parties in the know.

That’s only fair! 

It is bad enough that the county and city have increased sales taxes, and now the poor property taxpayers are being forced to bear the load of a school district that misrepresented its financial condition and precarious position with a head start while it stuck out its greedy little paw looking for another handout. A direct initiative places a proposed measure directly on the ballot for a popular vote in a future election if a sufficient number of signatures are gathered by petition.

It is definitely a mess, but in the end, Keith Posley, who has allowed the district to fall into a state of chaos and confusion, steps down in disgrace only to be rewarded with 6 months of paid health insurance, a pumped-up 401k and a $160,000 in cash. That’s nice work if you can get it. I think it’s time to put on the brakes and change the game in the taxpayers’ favor for a change!

Let’s throw the challenge flag.

It’s high Time for a Do-Over!