MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Milwaukee French Immersion School families gathered outside Milwaukee Public Schools’ central office Monday to protest the decision to cut one of their teachers.
The group is calling for the immediate reinstatement of Alexandre Sablonniere, a native French speaker who has worked at the school for more than seven years as a paraprofessional and teacher.
"I want them to know Mr. S. is a beloved teacher,” student Pablo Hamideh said at the protest.
Watch the video report below:
Sablonniere said he learned of the decision through a letter left in his school mailbox.
"I love this job. Teaching my own language," Sablonniere said.
"It felt horrible. Betrayed. I didn’t understand it."
In response to the protest, MPS addressed the school’s K4 enrollment and classroom consolidation.
The district said Milwaukee French Immersion School currently has three K4 sections averaging 14 students each, which is below district guidelines and not financially sustainable.
MPS also said it seeks to connect employees affected by excessing like Sablonniere with other opportunities within the district.
"He’s beloved in our community. He’s a native French speaker," Sarah Koffi-Kutodzo said.
Koffi-Kutodzo, the school’s PTA president, said families found out a few weeks ago that revised enrollment numbers would require reductions.
She added that the school fell 12 students short of enrollment projections following the state’s third-Friday count in September.
"We need to listen to families and staff who live in the district, who make up the community, and who pay our taxes."
A petition now calls for Sablonniere’s immediate reinstatement and a commitment from MPS to maintain the school’s current staffing level for the 2026-27 school year.
As of Monday morning, the petition had gathered more than 100 signatures.
Sablonniere said he was told he must leave the school by Oct. 27, shortly after parent-teacher conferences.
He added that he hopes the protest will persuade district leaders to reconsider.
MPS said by consolidating the K4 sections into two classrooms, the average enrollment would increase to about 20 students per class.
The district said the classrooms would still provide time for one-on-one support, with a paraprofessional in each K4 classroom and approximately one adult for every 10 students.
Full MPS statement:
“Families are our partners, and we appreciate them expressing their concerns. We know reviewing budgets and enrollment at every school every year is a challenging process with real impacts. At the same time, the school currently has three sections of K4 with an average enrollment of 14, which is well below our guidelines and, unfortunately, not financially sustainable. By bringing them together in two classes, there is an average enrollment of about 20, which aligns closely with our guidelines and still provides a small classroom environment with time for one-on-one support of our students. The K4 classrooms also have a paraprofessional for even more individual attention, with a ratio of about 1 adult for every 10 students.”
This story was reported on-air by Kaylee Staral and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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