MPS misses financial reporting deadlines again, closing some gaps
MPS misses finance reporting deadlines again
Milwaukee Public Schools misses its deadlines for financial reporting, yet again. Some of the paperwork is more than a year late, and that delay is leading to new delays.
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Public Schools misses its deadlines for financial reporting, yet again.
Some of the paperwork is more than a year late, and that delay is leading to new delays.
It involves your tax money and state oversight.
Wisconsin requires districts to turn in financial documents and audited numbers.
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Milwaukee has missed deadline after deadline. But it's also closing some gaps.
Now in 2025, Milwaukee Public Schools is more than a year late turning in 2023 financial documents to the state.
"Families and taxpayers of Milwaukee deserve better," said Colleston Morgan, Jr. from City Forward Collective. "This is now a year plus into this financial mess. They've made some progress, but there's still a lot more work to be done. And I think we all just want to know when is MPS going to get its act together and steward the billion dollars in taxpayer resources that they've been given?"
The backstory:
In May 2024, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction publicly revealed that MPS send it a backlog of financial documents.
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MPS 'Corrective Action Plan'
There was a lot of fallout, including MPS Superintendent Keith Posley’s resignation, heated public meetings, threats of millions of dollars of aid being withheld, and the state ordering an audit.
Then, in June, MPS agreed to a corrective action plan with DPI.
It set due dates for lots of things like the 2023 annual report. It was due in September 2023.
"No money was missing or misspent – instead the issues were a combination of software, staffing and training issues," said MPS Interim Superintendent Eduardo Galvan in October.
The corrective action plan between DPI and MPS set the new date of Sep. 30, 2024.
Back in October, Galvan said all 2023 financial data should be turned in by Thanksgiving 2024.
"They repeatedly indicated to us under intense and escalating questioning that they would be able to submit their fiscal 23 reports this year," State Superintendent Jill Underly said back in October.
But the dates in the new Corrective Action Plan 2 don't mention the 2024 due date. Instead, it reveals a new date of Jan. 31, 2025.
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MPS
The district is getting up to speed. It has hired financial staff, including both a chief financial officer and a comptroller.
The new plan shows the district finished its 2023 audit this January, and the gap is closing. The fiscal year 2024 audit was due in December.
The new plan shows it's now due in May.
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What's next:
FOX6 asked for an interview with MPS. The school board is meeting Thursday, Jan. 30, to talk about the new corrective plan.
A DPI spokesman tells FOX6 this new plan is a step forward, and the department is hopeful it will put MPS on a solid path moving forward.
FOX6 was also told that the district and the state have been meeting several times a week for months.
The Source: FOX6 produced this story, and has previously reported on the financial reporting situation at Milwaukee Public Schools.