Milwaukee Public Schools recently announced the elimination of more than 200 positions, including assistant principals, while pointing to smaller class sizes as a way to address student behavior.
That may sound like a solution. It is not.
Smaller class sizes do not automatically improve outcomes. Quality instruction does. Clear goals do. Ongoing instructional coaching for teachers and immediate support for students who need it matters.
When students cannot read, they cannot access learning. They fall behind, feel frustrated, and that frustration shows up in behavior.
This is a crisis.
In Milwaukee, according to the Nation’s Report Card, only about 5 percent of Black fourth-grade students are reading proficiently.
This is not new, and it is not unclear.
Only 18 percent of students on Milwaukee’s North Side are in high-quality schools, according to a recent City Forward Collective report, and nearly half of the lowest-performing schools in Wisconsin are concentrated in this one part of the city.
At the same time, the district continues to operate too many half-empty buildings, draining resources away from instruction. Money is going to maintain buildings instead of teaching kids.
This is not a funding problem. It is not a class size problem. It is a district management problem.
If outcomes are going to change, the focus must return to academics.
That starts in the earliest grades. Strong, well trained teachers. Research and evidence based curriculum. Ongoing instructional coaching. Regular progress monitoring. And immediate intervention when students are falling behind
There must also be a clear plan to right size buildings and invest in schools that are serving students well. Resources should be directed into curriculum, instruction, and teacher support, not inefficient systems.
This requires leadership.
Clear goals. Transparent progress. Accountability for results.
This is the role of a school board. Their responsibility is to manage finances wisely and ensure students are learning so they can attend college, pursue a meaningful career, or master a trade. This is why school board elections matter. These decisions impact children in the classroom today and shape their futures for years to come.
This is not about politics. It is about kids.
Students deserve results. Families deserve honesty.