In one corner, the MPS School Board. Weighing in at . . . well, bloated. Let's just leave it at that. In the other corner, Mayor Barrett. Weighing in at . . . tall. Very tall.
I'm on the fence about the Mayor taking over the school board. On the one hand, you have the board president putting forth all sorts of initiatives to help the district save money and make the schools competitive . . . and the board votes them down.
On the other hand . . . well, that's the problem. I don't know what's in the other hand. The big issue for me is other than all the caterwauling the Mayor, and the Governor (now suddenly you're concerned about Milwaukee?) have been doing about MPS, lately, there's no mention of a plan. Not specifically, anyway.
As I have a daughter in MPS, I have a vested interest in this. I can't say as I give a rat's tail who runs the district, as long as quality education is provided in a stimulating and safe environment. It's appalling to me that the board would spend time and resources on initiatives for dental hygiene, yet allow quality teachers to be eliminated from school positions. That's screwy.
Having said that, however, the issue of accountability is important. Would a mayor be more accountable than a school board? What about accessibility? Is the mayor too busy with his/her many responsibilities to address concerns when called upon? These are just a few of the questions that need to be answered.
Lastly, MPS has some good schools. I think the bad schools tend to get much of the attention and drag down the entire system. But, let's be honest. MPS cannot provide quality education when it's forced to relieve teachers largely due to inappropriate spending and over sight by the board. I don't want this to become a "punishment" issue. But, the board seems unwilling to take even the simplest of measures to improve. Maybe it is time for change.
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