Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee school committee moves forward plan to narrow police role in schools

Published

2 months ago

January 20, 2026

Milwaukee school committee moves forward plan to narrow police role in schools

How police operate in Milwaukee schools appears set to change.

A Milwaukee School Board committee passed on Jan. 20 a resolution aimed at narrowing the types of situations that police officers can become involved in at district buildings. It comes 10 months after the program was brought into the city’s public schools, following a state law that forced the hand of officials.

The resolution compels Superintendent Brenda Cassellius to implement a district policy that reflects its asks, which broadly restricts police from intervening in non-criminal situations that more closely reflect school discipline issues, like rude or disruptive behavior or loitering in hallways.

A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review of the first three months of the program found police were at times responding to situations like that, along with others including fights between students. School resource officers issued 92 citations during that time.

“Without clear and strict guardrails, it’s easy for SROs to become the default response to all behavior challenges,” Missy Zombor, president of the board, said during remarks at the meeting.

The School Board’s Committee on Legislation, Rules and Policies moved the resolution forward to the full board for final passage on Jan. 22.

Under the resolution, police would be expected to stay out of the following situations: Rude or disruptive behavior, excessive noise, loitering in hallways or bathrooms, dress code violations, use of profane or lewd language, and possession of legal items prohibited by school policies.

It also would put into place reporting requirements for the program. That includes quarterly reports breaking down incidents by demographic information, issuances of citations and specific actions by school resource officers, including searches, seizures and restraints.

Before the meeting, a demonstration consisting of about 35 students and community members took place outside of the district office. In support of the resolution, they chanted mottos like “counselors not cops” and “up with education, down with intimidation.”

Many there later spoke in support of the resolution during the public comment of the committee meeting. That spanned over an hour with each speaker in support of the resolution.

Many students described feeling unsafe with officers in the schools and criticized the state law that mandated the program.

Students Brenette Tunney, Elijah Shorts and Anneliese Schultz told the Journal Sentinel they were in support of the resolution. Each is a member of Youth Empowered in the Struggle, a student group that advocated for the resolution.

Tunney, a student at Hamilton High School, described her school becoming a “scary place” since the program began.

“I’ve never seen them do something actually helpful in school at all,” she told the Journal Sentinel before the meeting.

Those comments come as police and some school officials have lauded the program publicly, saying it made the district safer and said officers have tried to be mentors or counselors to students.

Members of Voces de la Frontera, Milwaukee Turners and Black Leaders Organizing for Communities spoke in support of the resolution.

Krissie Fung worked with students to prepare for giving comments on the program and Zombor on crafting the resolution. She is a member of the Fire and Police Commission, the city’s oversight committee for the two department.

Fung said the resolution was about letting students “coexist with SROs in schools as safely as possible.”

“In my opinion, current gaps in policy and lack of transparency for students and parents are a liability,” Fung said.

The committee meeting came hours after hundreds of Milwaukee students walked out of class in protest of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@gannett.com.

Source link

Click to comment

Milwaukee, WI

Truck drives in to Grace Coffee in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward overnight

Published

8 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Truck drives in to Grace Coffee in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward overnight

MILWAUKEE — A truck drove through the Grace Coffee Co. in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward on early Friday morning, the owners announced in a social media post.

Due to the extensive damage that was done, the coffee shop will be closed until further notice.

TMJ4

“We’re incredibly grateful no one was hurt, and we’ll keep you updated as we begin repairs,” the coffee shop said in the post.

TMJ4 reached out to the Milwaukee Police Department but have yet to hear back.

Let’s talk:

Hey there! At TMJ4 News, we’re all about listening to our audience and tackling the stuff that really matters to you. Got a story idea, tip, or just want to chat about this piece? Hit us up using the form below. For more ways to get in touch, head over to tmj4.com/tips.

It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.

Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.

Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip

Source link

Milwaukee, WI

MPS layoffs plan draws pushback as district works to close $46M gap

Published

21 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

MPS layoffs plan draws pushback as district works to close M gap

MPS cuts face backlash

Milwaukee Public Schools plans about 200 layoffs to close a $46 million budget gap, but union leaders say cuts could impact student safety while district leaders say no classroom teachers will be eliminated.

MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee Public Schools is planning to cut roughly 200 positions next school year as the district works to close a multi-million-dollar budget gap — but there’s disagreement over which roles will be impacted.

What we know:

District leaders say the goal is to close a roughly $46 million shortfall, prompting changes that Superintendent Brenda Cassellius says are necessary.

Milwaukee Public Schools said about 201 staff members will be impacted. District leaders say no classroom teachers, counselors or social workers will be cut — something the teachers’ union disputes.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

The reductions stem from a previously approved plan to eliminate about 260 non-classroom roles. The final number dropped after retirements and existing vacancies. The Milwaukee Board of School Directors approved that plan on March 9.

What they’re saying:

“We have a $50 million deficit, we are for sure not going to be able to do business the same way that we’ve been able to do business,” Cassellius said. “Change is just hard. It’s just hard. And every single one of our employees is so important.”

But some educators say the cuts go too far.

“MTEA is setting up a distress signal. We are talking about our teachers, art teachers, music teachers, physical education teachers, counselors — things that the voters of referendum of Milwaukee actually voted for,” said Ingrid Walker-Henry, president of the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association. “Staffing is being cut to the extent that they are concerned about student safety.”

Cassellius acknowledged the uncertainty and asked school leaders for patience.

“We just have to for sure know our budget situation, where we’re at with that after these cuts are made in order to make those decisions,” she said. “So I’m asking my principals, be patient with us.”

By the numbers:

The district outlined the 201 affected positions as:

70 central office roles
62 educators with a teaching license but not assigned to one classroom
59 assistant principals

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

MPS says the savings will support new class size guidelines, including:

18 students per teacher in K3
20 students per teacher in K4
22 students per teacher in K5

Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS)

District leaders say no students will be asked to leave a school to meet class size guidelines. Officials say they are working with schools that may not have space or that require larger classes based on specific programs.

What’s next:

Milwaukee Public Schools plans to present its proposed 2026–27 budget to the Milwaukee Board of School Directors in May.

The Source: Information in this post was provided by Milwaukee Public Schools and prior FOX6 coverage.

Milwaukee Public SchoolsMilwaukeeEducationNews

Source link

Milwaukee, WI

Brewers finally announce cable, satellite TV channels for broadcasts

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Brewers finally announce cable, satellite TV channels for broadcasts

Just before the pitch clock hits zero, the Milwaukee Brewers released a rundown of channels on cable and satellite for game broadcasts, mere hours before the 1:10 p.m. CT first pitch on Opening Day, Thursday, March 26.

The club said channels include 1263 on XFinity, 670 on DirecTV, 1743 on U-Verse, and 319 or 469 on Spectrum. The broadcasts are also listed as available on streaming service Fubo.

The Brewers are pointing fans to a channel-finding tool on their web site at Brewers.com/watch, though in the moments after the announcement, the channel finder was not yet locating details for Spectrum customers for Milwaukee-area zip codes. A club spokesperson said Major League Baseball was aware of the error and the games would indeed air on Spectrum in Milwaukee.

The built-in Spectrum guide still showed Channel 308 as the “BREW” offering in Milwaukee, with Brewers Live Pregame scheduled to begin at noon CT and baseball at 1 p.m. March 26.

With the February announcement of a switchover from FanDuel Sports Wisconsin to Major League Baseball productions in 2026, MLB negotiations have gone down to the wire with the various providers around Wisconsin. Several teams covered by Main Street Sports, which operated the FanDuel brand, have been in a similar boat this offseason.

Brewers fans aren’t alone in experiencing the late-arriving channel information. Maury Brown of Forbes has been keeping track of all the late-arriving channel announcements for teams around baseball, specifically those that were covered by the Main Street Sports. As of 7 a.m. March 26, the Royals, Rays, Tigers and Braves also still hadn’t released channel listings.

Streaming customers who used the FanDuel Sports Wisconsin app in previous years can use the new Brewers.TV option to once again watch games. The opener is also one of 10 games simulcast on over-the-air channels this season, including WITI-TV (Channel 6) in Milwaukee.

Source link