Milwaukee School Board calls special election to replace Aisha Carr

Milwaukee School Board members on Tuesday ordered a special election Nov. 5 to replace board member Aisha Carr, who resigned last Wednesday.

The winner of that election will serve for the remainder of Carr’s term, which is up in April of next year.

If more than two candidates run for Carr’s seat, requiring a primary election, the primary would take place Aug. 13. Candidates need to file paperwork by June 1.

Darryl Jackson was the only board member to vote against ordering the special election. Noting that the new board member’s term would be short, he said it “doesn’t make sense to have another person.”

While other school boards are allowed to appoint board members to fill vacancies, Milwaukee is an exception under state statute and must hold a special election to fill a vacancy, Milwaukee Assistant City Attorney Jordan Schettle said.

Carr’s resignation letter did not include an explanation for why she was resigning. She hasn’t replied to interview requests from the Journal Sentinel.

As previously reported, Carr’s resignation came after questions were raised about Carr’s residency and comments she made about planting a recording device in the district superintendent’s office:

Carr was subject of investigation by District Attorney’s office

Records unsealed in April showed the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office in January was investigating whether Carr had lied about living in the district she represents. The office has not answered questions from the Journal Sentinel about whether that investigation is ongoing. Online circuit court records do not show any misconduct charges filed against Carr.

Carr, who had shared publicly that she did not live in District 4 while she was campaigning for the north side board seat in 2021, said she was going to move to the district before she got sworn in. She told the Journal Sentinel last month that she had done nothing illegal or unethical.

“As previously stated, I have and continue to reside in my district,” she said.

The unsealed search warrant showed the District Attorney’s office had obtained Carr’s cellphone GPS records to determine where she had been spending time. In asking for the warrant, an investigator for the District Attorney’s office said Carr had “filed numerous documents” with MPS listing an address he believed would be shown to be false, noting that utility and voting records appeared to indicate she was living outside District 4 until last year.

It’s a Class I felony for public officials to intentionally falsify records, carrying a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison and two years of extended supervision.

Carr could have also been subject of MPS board investigation

Separately, Carr told the Journal Sentinel ahead of a April 18 meeting that she believed she was the subject of a misconduct complaint that was reviewed privately by the school board that night. The nature of that complaint has not been made public.

School board members said they were unable to share what happened in that closed-session meeting. Board members had the option to initiate an investigation into the alleged misconduct, which could result in a vote to censure or remove a board member.

Carr had told the Journal Sentinel she expected that the complaints were likely about her because of disagreements she has had with other board members and administrators. Carr has been critical of MPS leadership and opposed the April 2 referendum that raised the district’s taxing authority.

Dozens of supporters of Carr packed that board meeting April 18. Residents cheered for Carr throughout the evening, with some speakers saying they would work to vote out any board members who tried to boot Carr from the board.

Carr was recorded saying she planted a recording device

Earlier this year, a recorded conversation surfaced online in which Carr could be heard telling a former Milwaukee Public Schools administrator that she had planted a recording device in MPS Superintendent Keith Posley’s office.

Carr told the Journal Sentinel that she did not plant a recording device but had made the false statement to the former administrator to determine whether she was trustworthy.