Milwaukee school board recall effort fails

The group attempting to recall four Milwaukee Public Schools board members fell thousands of signatures short.

The group turned in petitions that appeared to have unverified names signed by the same person. In some instances, addresses were linked to abandoned homes, according to documents submitted to the Milwaukee Election Commission. 

“The people of Milwaukee have emphatically rejected this dishonest effort to remove good public servants from our democratically elected school board,” said Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association President Ingrid Walker-Henry. 

Members of the MPS School Board Recall Collaborative did not respond to requests for comment. 

At a July 24 press conference, weeks before they turned in the petitions, the recall group announced they had 37,000 of the 60,000 signatures needed to unseat MPS board president Marva Herndon, vice president Jilly Gokalgandhi, board member Erika Siemsen and at-large board member Missy Zombor. 

On Aug. 12, the group submitted a total of 29,787 signatures to the Milwaukee Election Commission. 

Their efforts were launched following several tumultuous weeks for the school district. In May, it was revealed that MPS had failed to file audits with the state Department of Public Instruction, leading to the loss of millions of dollars and the resignation of Superintendent Keith Posley. 

Gov. Tony Evers has since called for operational and instructional audits of MPS. 

MPS School Board Recall Collaborative called for more transparency within MPS and on the school board. 

But it soon became apparent the recall itself was shrouded in secrecy. 

When asked who was funding the efforts and who was paying canvassers, the only response by organizer Tamika Johnson  was “anonymous donors.” 

Walker-Henry said the public faces of the recall effort were a “private voucher school teacher and the founder of a now-shuttered private charter school.” 

“From the beginning when libelous assertions were made about MPS and MTEA, we have been alarmed at the clear anti-public education motivation of these recall efforts,” Walker-Henry said. “The people of Milwaukee should remember that this campaign was fueled by individuals and groups whose sole vision of education in Milwaukee is its complete privatization.” 

MTEA and Zombor filed complaints with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission last month. Zombor received an email July 22 from commission staff counsel David Buerger, saying her complaint would be investigated. 

On Tuesday, Zombor said the Ethics Commission has a yearslong backlog and she’s not confident the recall group will be looked into before the next MPS school board election. 

Gokalgandi’s term expires in April 2025. The other four board members will serve through April 2027. 

“I believe that the city of Milwaukee voters want school board members that believe in public schools,” Zombor said. “I think they want school board members who are going to build the district up and not tear it down. Even parents, regardless of where they send their kids to school, want a school board that has the best interest of public schools in mind.”