Milwaukee Public Schools says 36 schools are still working on getting the all-clear from lead paint hazards as the new school year approaches.
MPS has been cleaning up and repainting schools all summer after lead concerns forced closures, disrupting thousands of student schedules last Spring.
The district reports that 14 of the 50 schools in their lead remediation plan have been cleared by the Milwaukee Health Department to open. MPS expects the remaining schools to be safe and ready when classes begin after Labor Day.
TMJ4 caught up with paint crews working at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School, a K4-8th grade school.
The problem first surfaced in March after several schools were closed due to significant lead hazards.
Interim Chief Operating Officer Mike Turza says remedial work has been ongoing for months.
"When we looked at this project, the safety of the kids was the primary thing that we were concerned about so we went through the process of stabilizing all the paint, which is a very long and intensive process, painted the surfaces, thoroughly cleaned everything," Turza said.
Watch: MPS continues lead paint remediation as new school year approaches
Once cleaned, the Milwaukee Health Department has the final say in clearing schools to open. Milwaukee French Immersion School has already passed the test.
"All schools will have to go through the analytical wipes that is performed under the jurisdiction of the Milwaukee Health Department, and then they clear us officially that we're lead free," Turza said.
But Turza says there's still work to be done at other schools later this year.
"I want to be clear is that this was our first set of all those schools that were built pre-1950. We still have work to do on those schools that are post 1950, and that'll happen in the months of September through December," Turza said.
MPS estimates their lead remediation plan will cost $16 million.
MPS provided a list of schools that are undergoing or have completed the lead remediation process:
CLEARED SCHOOLS
- Academia de Lenguaje y Bellas Artes (ALBA)
- Brown Street Academy
- Doerfler School
- Fernwood Montessori School
- Greenfield Bilingual School
- Kagel School
- LaFollette School
- MacDowell Montessori
- Maryland Avenue Montessori School
- Milwaukee French Immersion School
- Golda Meir School – Lower Campus
- Starms Early Childhood Center
- Trowbridge School of Great Lakes Studies
- Westside Academy
SCHOOLS IN PROGRESS
- Auer Avenue School
- Lloyd Barbee Montessori School
- Bay View Montessori School-Lower
- Bay View Montessori School-Upper
- Burbank School
- Burdick School
- Cass Street School
- Clarke Street School
- Craig Montessori School
- Eighty-First Street School
- Forest Home Avenue School
- Franklin School
- Escuela Fratney
- Grant School
- Hampton School
- Hartford University School
- Hawley Environmental School
- Hayes Bilingual School
- Hi-Mount Community School
- Hopkins Lloyd Community School
- Humboldt Park School
- Keefe Avenue School
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School
- Lincoln Avenue School
- Longfellow School
- Manitoba School
- Mitchell Integrated Arts School
- Morgandale School
- Neeskara School
- Riley Dual Language Montessori School
- Sherman Multicultural Arts School
- Siefert School
- Story School
- Townsend Street School
- Escuela Vieau
- Zablocki School
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson 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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