Make MPS put Students First
- da: Students and Staff of MPS
- destinatario: Milwaukee Public Schools Board of Governance
Soon, the Milwaukee School Board will meet to discuss current budget cuts. If approved, these cuts will dramatically alter the state of Milwaukee Public Schools. Join us as we defend and protect our diverse educational community! We need a vocal show of support, through emails, phone calls, and signatures on this petition.
We are all appalled by the news that is filtering down to us regarding the budget for next year. Teachers being excessed and programs being cut are not what we need for our students. But we have a chance (albeit small) to have a say in what happens to us. Here are just a few of the things that we are facing as very real possibilities for next year:
* Under the current proposal, the average high school in MPS will lose 7-8 teaching positions along with critical support services including (but not limited to) library and computer lab access. These teachers (for the most part) are being "excessed", and not fired. What this means is that they are being taken out of the classroom and put into positions of day-to-day substitute teachers. MPS is still paying their full salary and benefits, thereby saving NOTHING!
* Class sizes of 35 to over 40 students! Teachers cannot possibly form a real bond with every one of the 200 students they would see in a day. Because we will be trying to educate so many students in so little time and space, the achievement gap would increase significantly. Our test scores determine our SIFI and DIFI status under No Child Left Behind, serve as indicators to families of potential new students, and will influence our standing within the state and nation. Consider this: If a teacher were to take just a minute with each student in a class of 42, it would take 42 minutes. This is the average length of a traditional class period, and over half of a class period under block scheduling! When would new instruction take place? The Milwaukee School Board has already conceded that class size is a significant factor in closing the achievement gap, as well overall student achievement. The proof is in the highly successful SAGE program for Elementary School students, which is even being cut, despite concrete proof that it works!
* Most classrooms are not physically capable of containing 40 desks without breaking the Fire Code. Are we going to ask our high school students to sit on the floor as they try to learn, or are we going to cram the desks in to the point that emergency evacuations would take hours?
* Underfunding this program negates the taxpayers' investment in one of the most successful and longstanding IB schools in the nation, as well as shortchanging all of the unique programs MPS schools offer. Rufus King has a long tradition of being the best school in the state of Wisconsin, and has the honor of being ranked 15th in Newsweek%u2019s report on International Baccalaureate schools in the nation. MPS is also home to other unique opportunities for students, including an Auto Shop at Pulaski, a Welding program at Bradley Tech, and one of the first Montessori High Schools in the Nation!
What we need is for the Board to look closely at the budget prepared by Central Office. We need to hold them accountable for everything that they are allocating money for. Professionals have evaluated their budget, and reported that it is a mess! We need to hold them accountable for that mess, and demand that they correct the mistakes that have been made over the years. We need the board to vote to extend the deadline on the budget so that accountability measures can be put into place, and expenses can be re-evaluated.
Most importantly, we need to send a message to Milwaukee Public Schools that although they say "The Classroom is the Most Important Place in the District", they aren't following through. If they are going to say that they "put children first", they should put their full efforts behind the children.
Call. Email. Go to the next Board meeting. Let them know that we aren't going to let them take anything else away from our students.
Who to contact: The Office of Board Governance, Phone number: 475-8284
We the undersigned agree that the Milwaukee Public Schools Board of Governance ought to look closely at the budget prepared by Central Office. They should be held accountable for the mess that is the MPS budget, and we demand that they correct the mistakes that have been made over the years. We demand that the board vote to extend the deadline on the budget so that accountability measures can be put into place, and expenses can be re-evaluated.
Most importantly, we say to Milwaukee Public Schools that although they say "The Classroom is the Most Important Place in the District", they aren't following through. If they are going to say that they "put children first", they should put their full efforts behind the children. Teachers should be placed back into the classroom, not taken out of it.
Thank you for supporting MPS students!
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