MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius is taking on significant challenges in her new role, including a lead crisis and financial issues, while working to improve education quality and safety for students.
"Milwaukee can expect great things out of Milwaukee Public Schools," Cassellius said.
Cassellius, who started on March 15, stepped into the position after community members demanded new leadership.
"I feel like there is a readiness in the community to to see something different. Something better. And I think we all want to dig in and get it done and do it better because our kids deserve it," Cassellius said.
When asked why she came to Milwaukee, Cassellius was direct about why she applied for the job.
"I'm here for our kids who are most vulnerable. For our communities maybe that have been forgotten," she said.
WATCH: Megan Lee's full interview with MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius
Cassellius began her job earlier than expected as the district was dealing with financial issues with the state and facing a lead crisis in schools.
"I did not," Cassellius said when asked if she anticipated dealing with a lead crisis when taking the role.
She acknowledges the district is still working through its response to the lead issues.
"Well I think we are growing and learning every day. Ya know, I'm not gonna oversell it. We still make mistakes, and we are working on those," Cassellius said.
As schools remain empty during summer break, lead remediation work will be underway.
"There are going to be dozens of contractors in our schools to do this heavy lift," Cassellius said.
Meanwhile, the district's human resource department is busy interviewing candidates for 181 academic office positions that Cassellius had reposted in early May.
"We're happy to say we have applicants for all of them and some we have many many applicants," she said.
Teachers and the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association has expressed frustration with this decision.
Cassellius hopes to have more qualified teachers in classrooms, aligning with her goal of raising test scores and literacy rates.
"So the team has been focused on getting some high quality materials so that's kinda been a first step and some early training for our teachers in phonics based, and the science of reading," Cassellius said.
Beyond academics, Cassellius is working to improve school lunches and allocating more funds for student safety.
She tells TMJ4 that all middle schools and high schools will have salad bars starting this fall. Improving school lunch was a big concern that students expressed to Cassellius.
"There's going to be new safety provisions put in place next year," she said.
Looking toward the future, Cassellius wants MPS families to know that difficult cuts are coming in 2026 as the district will likely face a $100 million structural deficit.
"And so we have to really have a serious conversation with our community about where those cuts will come from. I anticipate that will be some closing or merging of schools, that we're gonna right size the district," Cassellius said.
Being transparent with the community remains her top priority.
"We need their voices, we can't do this alone," she said.
This story was reported on-air by Megan Lee 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.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
