MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Milwaukee Public Schools parents are speaking up for an assistant principal they say goes above and beyond for students, as the district announces a mass reduction of non-classroom positions for the next school year.
MPS says the cuts will impact about 200 staff members as MPS addresses a $46 million structural deficit. Parents with students at Golda Meir School say the loss of support staff will be felt by thousands of students across the district.
Parent Nora Janssen said the assistant principal from Golda Meir School got an excess letter this week, meaning her position will not exist next school year.
Watch: Parents fight to keep assistant principal amid MPS cuts
"Even though she's not a classroom teacher, losing her is going to impact how the classrooms function, because she's very involved with all the students," Janssen said.
Janssen is one of many parents and students who love this superintendent and can’t imagine the school without her.
"She’s always supporting me, she’s very funny and kind," Terrell Henry said.
"What I like about her is I give her a call, and I get a response," Sharon Irwin Henry said.
"She is a hands-on, everywhere at once hugging kids every time I see her," Beki Lloyd said.
Janssen reached out to TMJ4 to share her concerns about the cuts and the impact they will have on families.
"My son had some problems with bullying at the school, and she had his back," Janssen said. "I want to do what I can to help Ms. Lane, because she did what she could to help my family when we needed her.”
MPS says the 201 affected positions include about 70 positions based in central office (including a deputy superintendent position and chief of schools position on the senior team), 62 implementer positions, and 59 assistant principal positions.
District leaders say no teachers who have a classroom, counselors, nurses, psychologists, or social workers are being cut. The changes are expected to save about $30 million and help lower class sizes.
TMJ4 brought parents' concerns to Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, asking if there is any chance the excess letters will be reconsidered.
"Because we’ve protected our classrooms as best as we possibly can outside of enrollment or student choice for specialty types of programs, I think losing our assistant principals is one of the toughest decisions we’ve had to make because they are so valuable to our schools," Cassellius said.
Parents disagree with the district's approach to the budget.
"That's a problem that I have with this budget, is this budget's a real cookie-cutter. One size fits all. They're not looking at the schools as like, individual entities or individual communities," Janssen said.
The district says employees who receive excess letters are not automatically laid off and will be considered for open positions.
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