MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Public Schools board approved a $1.6 billion balanced budget for the 2026-27 school year in an 8-1 vote, drawing backlash from parents and educators who are demanding full funding for public schools and raising concerns about vacancy rates and potential school closures.
Superintendent Brenda Cassellius says she is confident the budget prioritizes students and reduces classroom sizes. Cassellius says the budget eliminates the district's $45.6 million deficit through central office reductions and contract cuts, but that state funding remains a concern.
Watch: Why some parents and educators are pushing back against the Milwaukee Public Schools board's decision to pass a 2026-27 budget that cuts more than 260 non-classroom positions.
"We get the funding that comes from the state every year based on a per pupil allocation and equalization aid, they call it, but it's not enough to keep up with inflation," Cassellius said.
MPS parent Melody McCurtis says students are already feeling the effects of staffing instability.
"You know, talking to your kids asking what they are experiencing. They are noticing teachers they have for one month now they aren't there," McCurtis said.
The approved budget cuts more than 260 non-classroom positions, adds about 140 paraprofessionals and 159 classroom teachers. Some parents are questioning how the district will fill those positions given vacancy challenges.
McCurtis called the district's hiring plans an inadequate solution.
"We don't have a teacher pipeline, so that's really just telling us a narrative that's really false, so we, so it's a fake fix for now, that's going to create an even larger problem next year," McCurtis said.
Cassellius outlined the district's approach to hiring.
"We have a year-round strategy now, we have a new chief of HR who's been working with the department, a new talent management team that's going to be going out, we have additional career fairs, we're doing a lot of advertising," Cassellius said.
Cassellius says school closures or consolidations are not expected in the 2026-27 school year but will be considered in the future with community input.
McCurtis raised concerns about which communities could be most affected by potential future closures.
"There's a lot of schools that's being proposed to be consolidated or closed on the north side, and on the north side, majority of the neighborhoods are majority black, right? So that's a direct reflection of what we're seeing in these budget cuts," McCurtis said.
MPS paraprofessional Joshua Taylor says the budget's impact extends beyond families with children in the district.
"Whether you have kids or not, what happens with MPS affects you," Taylor said.
With the budget now approved, many families say their focus remains on whether the district can deliver the support students and teachers need.
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