MILWAUKEE — The latest Milwaukee Health Department data reveals a troubling reality: about 1 in 10 Milwaukee children have been poisoned by lead, with the vast majority of cases traced to contaminated rental properties built before lead paint was banned in 1978.

For the past year, our Lighthouse special reporting team has been investigating the dangers of lead exposure and the obstacles many renters face in keeping their children safe from this preventable health crisis.

A family’s ongoing struggle

Aidan Branch was hospitalized twice as a toddler for extreme lead poisoning, and though he was too young to remember those frightening days, the effects continue to shape his daily life.

“I don’t want anyone else to go through what I’ve been through,” Aidan said.

His mother, Deanna Branch, says the lead poisoning has left lasting damage that will affect her son for the rest of his life.

“After he was lead poisoned, he was diagnosed with ADHD, ODD. He still has behavioral problems and nervous things where he can’t sit still. He’s been that way since he was two,” Deanna Branch said.

Watch: Milwaukee children face lifelong impacts from lead poisoning in rental homes

Milwaukee children face lifelong impacts from lead poisoning in rental homes

The Branch family’s ordeal wasn’t limited to Aidan. His older brother was also poisoned in their old rental home, where a health department inspection found lead contamination on walls, windowsills, and in the water supply.

“Definitely, the lead paint was the number one factor. Eating those wood chips, playing in the window sills. The paint chipping off the walls,” Branch said.

Staggering numbers reveal widespread problem

Milwaukee Health Department data from the last four years paints a concerning picture of the scope of lead poisoning in the city. Of the 81,000 children age 5 and younger who have been tested, 9,000 were found to have concerning levels of lead in their blood.

Perhaps most alarming: inspections found that 88% of these poisoned children live in homes contaminated with lead paint.

“Lead paint, long story short, is highly concentrated, and a little bit of dust in a small child can send them straight to the hospital,” said Tyler Weber from the Milwaukee Health Department.

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The problem stems from the city’s aging housing stock. Weber says Milwaukee has an estimated 255,000 housing units with lead paint because they were built before 1978, when lead paint was banned.

“Overtime as homes age, does the problem get worse?” Weber was asked.

“Yes. Absolutely, it gets worse. The older the home, the longer it goes without maintenance, the worse it is,” Weber said.

Children most vulnerable to exposure

UW-Milwaukee lead expert Amy Kalkbrenner explains why children face the highest risk of lead exposure and suffer the most severe consequences.

“They’re crawling on the floor. That’s where the tiny lead particles are. Or they’re putting everything into their mouth,” Kalkbrenner said.

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Lead is particularly harmful to developing brains, making children the biggest concern for health experts.

Children’s Wisconsin tests thousands of kids annually for lead poisoning. Pediatrician Heather Paradis says the effects primarily impact a child’s ability to regulate behavior.

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“Some of the behavioral problems that we see do mimic things like ADHD, so hyperactivity, impulsivity, difficulties with learning,” Paradis said.

Temporary fixes for a permanent problem

Having experienced the devastating effects of lead poisoning firsthand, Deanna Branch now volunteers to advocate for other parents facing similar situations. However, she often finds herself recommending temporary solutions rather than permanent fixes.

“I have to tell them, if you see paint chipping, you have to cover it with duct tape. If there’s dust particles on the window, use a bleach wipe or swiffer mop the floor so they won’t be exposed to the dust, just putting a bandaid on the situation, not addressing the root issue, having the lead paint out of the house,” Branch said.

“What most people don’t realize when a child is lead poisoned, it’s a lifelong thing,” Branch said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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The Milwaukee Public Schools board of directors will consider several mid-school-year cuts Tuesday after auditors found the district spent $46 million more than it budgeted in 2024-25. 

After completing three financial audits in 13 months — two of which had been significantly overdue—the district now has a clearer picture of its current financial position, Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said in a statement Friday evening. 

“The audits have identified an estimated $46 million gap between revenues and expenditures,” Cassellius continued. “MPS is working to reduce that imbalance by June 30 to lessen the need for future cuts.”

To do this, the district will: 

• Review unspent funds set aside in the budget 
• Freeze non-essential new positions and contracted services 
• Increase participation in federal nutrition programs 
• Conduct a study on transportation costs  
• Review existing district contracts 
• Seek additional reimbursements for high-cost special education services 
• And fully leverage state and federal grant opportunities to accelerate initiatives  

“These decisions are not easy,” Cassellius wrote. “They reflect our unwavering commitment to putting students first, protecting classrooms, and ensuring the long term wellbeing of Milwaukee Public Schools.”  

MPS has to continue to look at spending in the next fiscal year, plus the cost of negotiated wage increases. 

Cassellius said one way MPS plans to address the shortfall is by reducing staffing at the central office. 

This week, an updated capital improvement budget will be presented to the school board. 

But Cassellius said students will remain at the center of the proposal. 

The plan will limit class sizes at elementary schools to 28 students, with smaller classes in K3-K5 and a middle school cap of 32. 

“Our budget is a reflection of our values, and for us that begins with students and classrooms,” Cassellius wrote. “Even as we confront significant financial challenges, we are making deliberate choices to protect teaching and learning, invest in our staff, and ensure resources are directed where they are needed most.”

Colleston Morgan Jr., who leads City Forward Collective, a nonprofit and advocacy group in Milwaukee, says even if the school board agrees to Cassellius’s planned cuts, the long-term financial outlook for MPS is concerning.

“The district projects a cumulative deficit of $420 million by the end of the 2030-31 school year if it continues on its current trajectory,” Morgan said.

Editor’s note: This story will be updated