Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee schools face a $46M budget deficit
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.”
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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
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MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Police Department is investigating a shooting that occurred on early Sunday morning on the 4900 block of W. Capitol Drive that left one person injured.
An 18-year-old sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
TMJ4
The police is currently looking for an unknown suspect at this time.
Those with information regarding the shooting are encouraged to contact the Milwaukee Police at (414) 935-7360 or contact Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-TIPS or P3 Tips to remain anonymous.
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MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Police Department requested the public’s help to find 11-year-old Sir’Charles Bason, a critically missing boy who was last seen near Teutonia and Kiley at around 6:20 p.m. on Saturday, April 18.
Police described Bason as 4 feet, 5 inches tall with a slim build, brown eyes and black, low-cut hair. He was last seen wearing a gray jacket with green lines, dark-colored jeans, tan sandals and carrying gray Nike Jordan shoes.
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What you can do:
Anyone with information on Bason’s whereabouts is asked to call Milwaukee Police District 4 at 414-935-7242.
The Source: The Milwaukee Police Department released information.
MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man, previously named one of Wisconsin’s Most Wanted, has been sentenced to prison for shooting and killing his cousin in 2020.
In court
What we know:
A Milwaukee County jury found 39-year-old Brandon Gladney guilty of first-degree reckless homicide and possession of a firm by a felon earlier this year.
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Judge Michelle Havas sentenced Gladney to 29 years in prison on Friday, April 17. He was granted credit for more than a year’s time served and further sentenced to 14 years of extended supervision.
Arrested in Arizona after years on the run, court records show Gladney has also been ordered to pay the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office more than $1,800 for extradition costs.
Homicide investigation
The backstory:
The shooting happened in May 2020. Investigators said Gladney was captured on video apparently arguing with the victim, his cousin, outside a Milwaukee convenience store near 21st and Meinecke.
“It’s all on video, and it’s devastating for that family,” the marshal on the case told FOX6 when Gladney was profiled on Wisconsin’s Most Wanted. “You have a family member that shot and killed another family member.”
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Prosecutors said Gladney walked away but then returned with a gun pointed directly at the victim and shot him. The victim died from his gunshot wounds at a nearby hospital. Multiple bullet casings were found at the scene.
Gladney went on the run for years. He was arrested in Arizona in January 2023, years after he was charged.
The Source: FOX6 News referenced information from the U.S. Marshals Service, Wisconsin Circuit Court and prior coverage.
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