District overview
Milwaukee Public Schools
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
How is MPS funded and governed?
Milwaukee Public Schools is Wisconsin's largest district (about 67,000 students in 150+ schools). A nine-member Board of School Directors, led by President Zombor, sets policy and the budget; Superintendent Brenda Cassellius runs the district. Funding is capped by the state revenue limit and mixes state aid with a local property tax levy. Directors say a state tax credit offsets much of the levy for homeowners and that part of the levy covers the state's special-needs scholarship program. The district ended 2024-25 with a $45.6 million deficit and cut central office costs and staff in the 2026-27 budget.
Budget actions
For 2026-27 the superintendent cited about $18.2 million in central office savings, about $30 million from a staff reduction, and about $6 million from purchased services.
Levy
The board set the levy on Oct. 29; directors said about $77 million would be offset by the state school levy tax credit and about $19.5 million funds the special-needs scholarship program.
Committees
Work happens in committees (Student Achievement, Strategic Planning and Budget, Finance and Operations, Legislation, Rules and Policies, and others) before monthly regular board meetings, usually the last Thursday.
Staffing
On Aug. 27 the district reported about 60 teacher vacancies, down from 120+ a year earlier, and about 135 paraprofessional vacancies.
Figures come from officials' statements and auto-generated captions. They are not audited numbers, and the full budget book was not collected.
Where the district stands
Stated by the superintendent in the meeting.
About 120+ a year earlier.
Major projects
Lincoln Avenue School after the fire
Students relocated; demolition bids soughtThe building is a total loss and must be demolished. Students use dedicated space inside Pulaski High School.
- Press conference: fire ruled accidental, building a total loss
- Board hears update on Pulaski High School arrangement
Funding
Not stated
About $30,000 in donations at the MPS Foundation's Lincoln fund.
Recent news
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Practical guides to school phone policies, district budgets, and administrator hiring.
Explore resources →Based on 66 official documents: monthly Board Proceedings (minutes), meeting notices, the 2026-27 budget page and auto-captioned recordings of about 60 board and committee meetings, November 2025 to November 2026.
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