MPS school closures, mergers; board hears consultant's findings
MILWAUKEE - The biggest school district in the state could operate on a smaller footprint.
A consultant presented the option to the Milwaukee Public Schools school board on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Six months in the making, the district's long-range facilities master plan is in and it outlines what could be significant changes.
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Perkins Eastman, an architectural and consulting firm, studied every school and its usage before sorting them into one of four categories: building and programmatic investments, building addition, closure/merger or ongoing monitoring and evaluation.
"We know it takes a lot of work and time and capacity to do any of the strategies that we're talking about if you want to do it correctly," Nate Morris with Perkins Eastman said.
The lists were presented to the board on Tuesday.
"Research shows that when districts are enacting closures, they often disproportionately impact communities that are underserved, marginalized, or suffering," Morris said.
MPS enrollment down; school closures, mergers on the table
As Milwaukee Public Schools deals with declining enrollment, school mergers or closures aren't just a possibility – they're probable.
Yet, the consultant suggests 13 schools, which are all on the city's north side, could be closed or merged. Their data shows when sorted by school board districts, the number of students living around those schools is the farthest below student capacity.
Board director Henry Leonard said he's hoping whatever happens is equitable.
"There may be a lot that happens over the course of 10 years," Leonard said. "My hope is to see a significant change, a shift in the way that we can do that."
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The presentation also calls for committees to decide what options are best for their region before implementing them.
The plan also calls for adding onto schools that are above or nearing capacity, should there be room on site to do so. The board sent the plan to the committee, which starts the formal process of acting on it.
Documents showed the list of 13 schools that are recommended for closure/merger:
- Brown Street Academy (elementary school)
- Clarke Street Academy (K-8)
- Siefert School (elementary school)
- Starms Discovery Learning Center (K-8)
- Auer Avenue School (elementary school)
- Hopkins Lloyd Community School (elementary school)
- Jackson Elementary School (elementary school)
- Dr. George Washington Carver Academy (K-8)
- Oliver Wendell Holmes School (K-8)
- Andrew S. Douglas Middle School (middle school)
- Keefe Avenue School (elementary school)
- Robert M. LaFollette School (K-8)
- William T. Sherman School (K-8)
If MPS decides to close or merge any schools, the process would likely take years.