As school closures approach, MPS is releasing facility data but not a list of schools in the block

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — On Friday, September 27, MPS released new data that will help determine which school buildings in the district will close.

The district’s long-term facilities master plan will require closing some buildings to right-size the district.

Soon MPS will host town hall meetings for parents and families, but the public won’t know at those meetings whether their school is in danger.

What was announced on Friday is actually about grading criteria but not results.

A lot of data was shared, but the most important information was not: We still don’t know which MPS schools will close as the district looks to the future.

“There is no final decision, let me make that absolutely clear,” said Sean Kane, senior director of facilities and maintenance.

Kane emphasized that this was just a plan.

More than 50 pages of data have been released, but not a list of schools that could be cut.

“You really have to look at our facilities and what works for the students to give them a great educational experience,” Kane said.

The report was compiled by research firm Perkins Eastman. It reveals hundreds of data points from MPS’s 144 school campuses.

The aim is to improve the economic situation of the region by being more financially efficient. This means making hard choices and closing schools.

“This is not a one-year plan, it’s a 5- to 10-year plan, and everyone needs to understand the seriousness of this because it’s so important not only to the MPS district but to the city of Milwaukee as well,” Kane said.

Each MPS school is evaluated for whether it should be closed, merged, invested, monitored or added.

Here’s how they do it:

In the first round, schools will first be sent a flowchart based on four criteria: building use, program access, building condition and geographic distributions.

Once they are sorted, we will sort them into these groups in the second round.

Secondary data points include estimated enrollment, student demographics, and building amenities.

An example of the need for greater efficiency: enrollment has decreased by 14% in the last 10 years, and almost 2/3 of MPS schools have lost enrollment during that time.

Enrollment rates are also uneven: ¼ of schools are underutilized and ¼ are overcrowded.

Additionally, the study revealed that many students do not attend the school closest to where they live.

In making decisions, the district will follow eight guiding principles: improving access to high-quality programs, appropriately staffing schools, and ensuring the district’s long-term financial sustainability.

In-person town hall meetings begin Monday evening, September 30.

But people still won’t know if their schools are among those closed.

Click this link to see a list of town hall meetings.