Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee School Board approves $1.5 billion budget amid accounting crisis
Milwaukee School Board members approved a $1.5 billion budget Thursday night while they are still uncovering the full consequences of severe accounting failures by administrators who have left the district.
One of the eight board members, Darryl Jackson, voted against the budget.
Board members said they needed to approve a budget plan so the district can continue operating, paying staff and planning for the next school year, as MPS approaches the end of its fiscal year June 30. The board could make cuts to the budget later in the year, when the district’s financial situation becomes more clear.
The school district is facing a possible reduction in state aid to offset previous accounting errors that may have caused the district to be overpaid. MPS also faces threats of additional aid being withheld because of late financial reports, as officials dash to piece together months of faulty accounting.
Three top officials have departed MPS since the accounting problems came to light: Superintendent Keith Posley, Chief Financial Officer Martha Kreitzman and Comptroller Alfredo Balmaseda. A new coalition is seeking to recall four school board members. Gov. Tony Evers is hiring auditors to take a closer look at MPS operations.
The district notched one win on Thursday when board members and state officials agreed on a corrective action plan for the district. The approval of that plan means that MPS won’t miss its next state aid payment June 17.
Union calls for budget approval, others call for a delay
Before voting on the budget, board members heard the frustration of community members who felt blindsided by the news of the district’s accounting problems, especially on the heels of a successful referendum to raise local property taxes for the school district.
Annie Young said she was attending her first school board meeting, along with her two children.
“Why did you come to us asking us to give you more money so that things didn’t get cut, and you didn’t have your ducks in a row? You screwed us, and that made me upset,” Young said. “So at the age of 56 years old, I came down here for the very first time to say I’m disappointed, and I think everybody needs to do better.”
Some called on board members to delay their vote on the budget, while members of the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association urged board members to approve it.
“The board needs to pass the budget to stop the uncertainty that the families and workers have right now,” said Ingrid Walker-Henry, president of the MTEA, the union for MPS staff. She added that the board needs to “fix the problem that we all know exists and ensure that a situation like this never happens again.”
Jilly Gokalgandhi, vice president of the board and chair of the board’s budget committee, said the board needed to get a budget plan in place, and would consider changes to that budget plan after the state Department of Public Instruction determines how much state funding the district will receive in light of the district’s errors.
“This budget will change as DPI provides us with more information on what the real impact will look like for the district,” she said. “We know it’s a serious impact, and so as we get more information, we will share more information.”
Jackson, before voting against approval of the budget, said he was skeptical of the budget prepared by Posley.
“Payroll has to happen, people have to get paid, that’s a given,” Jackson said. “But also, I don’t trust the proposed budget that was put in place by past administration.”
Accounting errors could lead to future budget cuts
MPS could be docked between $35 million and $50 million in state aid for the next school year due to previous accounting errors by the district, according to initial estimates DPI provided to the Journal Sentinel Thursday afternoon.
If the state aid is reduced, the school board could make budget cuts, raise local property taxes to offset the reduction in state aid, dip into the district’s savings, or use some combination of those options, according to staff at the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
Gokalgandhi said the board would be “looking for solutions that do not impact the taxpayers,” acknowledging that those solutions could include budget cuts.
“I think across the board, we are feeling like we want to evaluate scenarios within our current budgetary abilities and powers to make sure that the taxpayers of Milwaukee are not impacted,” Gokalgandhi said.
Chris Bucher, communications officer for the state Department of Public Instruction, said the errors by MPS may have included grant dollars being coded into the wrong year, journal entries without complete documentation and incorrectly coded revenues and expenditures.
MPS budget cuts nearly 300 staff positions
The district’s budget plan cuts nearly 300 staff positions for the next school year. MPS has not answered questions from the Journal Sentinel or Wisconsin Policy Forum about how many of those positions are currently vacant.
School districts across the state are facing budget cuts this year, squeezed between rising costs and state-imposed revenue limits that haven’t kept pace with inflation.
When MPS board members voted on a referendum to send to voters this year, they chose a middle road: a tax increase that would significantly reduce the district’s deficit but not entirely eliminate it. The referendum will provide MPS with about $140 million in additional funds for the next school year, while the projected deficit was $200 million.
The biggest cut in the budget plan, which was presented in April by Posley, is the loss of about 130 school support teachers who mentor new teachers and facilitate training. They had been paid with federal pandemic relief aid, which is expiring. They are being offered jobs as classroom teachers, a district spokesperson said.
Posley’s budget plan also cut four out of 14 positions in the district’s Black and Latino Male Achievement Department and Gender Identity and Inclusion Department, including the GII director. A budget amendment from Gokalgandhi and board member Megan O’Halloran added the GII director back into the budget by cutting the district’s director of remote work.
Posley’s plan also cut seven of 22 staff members in two other departments: Restorative Practices, and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Board members O’Halloran and Erika Siemsen amended the budget to save the director of the Restorative Practices Department and two restorative practices coaches. The district plans to fund the jobs by not filling other vacant positions.
Other budget amendments from board members reversed Posley’s cuts to one mentor teacher, three trauma coaches and two work-based learning specialists.
MILWAUKEE – Forecast from FOX6 Meteorologist Lisa Michaels
Partly sunny skies on Saturday with a slight chance for a few sprinkles or a shower.
Temperatures warmer on Saturday in the mid to upper 60s. Isolated 70s near the border. Breezy with winds gusting near 30mph.
Cooler temperatures in the upper 50s on Sunday (Mother’s Day) with increasing clouds. Patchy frost Saturday night into Sunday and Sunday night into Monday.
Next chance of rain and storms arrives on Tuesday.
Today: Partly sunny. A few showers possible. Breezy.
High: 67°
Wind: NW 10-25
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Patchy frost.
Low: 42°
Wind: NW 5-10
Sunday: Increasing clouds.
High: 57°
Wind: NW 5-15
Monday: Mostly sunny.
AM Low: 39° High: 59°
Wind: E 5-10
Tuesday: Warm and windy. Chance storms.
AM Low: 42° High: 68°
Wind: SW 10-25
Wednesday:Partly sunny.
AM Low: 46° High: 59°
Wind: NW 5-15
Thursday: Mostly sunny.
AM Low: 42° High: 64°
Wind: S 5-10
6-day planner
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We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee, WI
Bobby Portis and his mom share the story behind his foundation while honoring Milwaukee teachers
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — The Bobby Portis Foundation hosted a luncheon Friday at Roosevelt Middle School to honor teachers — many of whom are also mothers — with Mother’s Day and Teacher Appreciation Week overlapping on the calendar.
Portis and his mother, Tina Edwards, spent the day celebrating educators and reflecting on the mission behind the foundation.
“We just want to make sure that we let the teachers know you are appreciated because sometimes it goes beyond being a parent at home, but sometimes teachers are parents at school,” Edwards explained.
Ariel Campos, TMJ4 Sports
For Portis, a forward for the Milwaukee Bucks, the foundation has always been rooted in one person.
“The Bobby Portis Foundation has always just been solely based upon really my mom, and that’s the inspiration behind it,” Portis said.
WATCH: Bobby Portis and his mom share the story behind his foundation
Bobby Portis and his mom share the story behind his foundation while honoring Milwaukee teachers
Growing up, Portis watched his mother raise four boys on her own.
“My mom worked tirelessly to take care of all four of us,” Portis said.
Edwards made sacrifices for her sons from the very beginning — including turning down a basketball scholarship after becoming pregnant with Bobby.
“I still was offered a scholarship after I had him, but I wanted to choose him over ball,” Edwards said.
Tina Edwards
That sacrifice brought her full circle through her son’s career.
“With Bobby becoming an NBA player, he’s living my dream, and I’m living the dream through him,” Edwards shared.
For Portis, the event was an opportunity to honor everything his mother has given him.
“I can’t just put into words what my mom has done for me, not only for my basketball career – that’s just like a small portion of my life – I’m talking about just me as a human being, as a man. I mean, I didn’t have a dad growing up, so my mom played both roles. She did a hell of a job raising not only me but my three other brothers,” Portis said.
His grandmother’s message to spread his blessings continues to drive his work.
“Being able to be in a position now to have a voice, to have a platform, to give back, to help inspire. I try to use it to the best of my abilities,” Portis 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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MILWAUKEE — Saturday is the start of the food truck curfew in downtown Milwaukee. That curfew was passed by the Common Council to address safety concerns after several violent incidents.
Alma Juarez is with Tacos Almita on Water Street in downtown Milwaukee. Juarez said since the city passed the curfew, she’s had just over two weeks to adjust.
“We’re trying to think what we’re going to do,” said Juarez. “Maybe we’re going to start in another place or move the food truck after 10 p.m., but that means we have to start over again.”
She said that means she may also have to start building up a news customer base.
“Moving the truck means that… we have to struggle,” said Juarez.
Juarez is not alone in worrying about her financial future.
Last Thursday, a group of owners took their concerns to city hall. Jennifer Martinez, who’s with the food truck known as Tacos El Pastorcito Mixe, was at that demonstration. She said the late-night hours make up roughly 75% of her revenue.
“During the day, I’ve tried opening very early in the morning — 8 a.m. 9 a.m. — it doesn’t make a difference. There’s no… we don’t have much sales throughout the day,” said Martinez.
Ald. Robert Bauman represents downtown and was the sponsor of the ordinance.
Last week he told Spectrum News that he’s aware of the economic burden the truck operators are facing. However, he said safety concerns are a bigger priority.
“And MPD (Milwaukee Police Department) has said on the record repeatedly that food trucks are a major contributing cause for the loitering and disorder that takes place on Water Street,” said Bauman, who represents District 4 in Milwaukee.
He said he’s willing to take a hit on food trucks and prioritize the concerns of larger businesses.
“If they feel that downtown is not safe anymore, they’ll either not come at all, or they’ll leave as soon as their event is over with and not spend any additional money in the downtown area,” said Bauman.
But Juarez said the city shouldn’t have to do that. She said she believes food trucks aren’t the cause of the problem.
“You can see it in any places, but not here,” said Juarez. “It can happen here, but not in front of the food trucks cause they are saying that a lot of violence, a lot of the things that are going on is in front of the food truck. You can see that all the shooting happens after 1 a.m. or 3 a.m. Last shooting, it was after 1 a.m.”
Food truck owners said they hope to continue to turn a profit after the ordinance starts, but they said they face a potentially tough financial future.
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