Meetings next week

The school board has a busy week next week:

Tuesday, August 12 - Innovation and School Reform Committee
Thursday, August 14 - Special Education Committee and Strategic Planning and Budget Committee

Blue books (agendas) are available on the MPS Portal.

Tuesday's ISR meeting is shaping up to be interesting. Included on the docket:

• Approval for a non-instrumentality charter school: Hmong American Peace Academy
• An information report on the Comprehensive Literacy Framework adopted by the district in 2004. The report will focus on the writing aspect of the Framework. This Framework came about through the hard work of folks who participate in the Milwaukee Partnership Academy - a broadbased group of institutions representing K-12 education, business, labor, foundations, universities, etc. MTEA has been involved since the beginning. The Partnership has attracted a lot of resources to the district, and some interesting ideas. What's your take?
• An information report about all the money MPS is spending on providing Title I services to non-public school students -- $11,431,550 to be exact. Many of the students, BTW, attend voucher schools. But before you criticize MPS, know that the spending is required by the federal education law ESEA, more commonly referred to as "No Child Left Behind (NCLB)." This law was trumpeted by the Bush administration and passed with bi-partisan support. You all know better than I how schools have been suffering ever since this law went into affect. NEA is working on ways to revise the law so that it's actually helpful to schools as they try to improve. Whether they are successful depends largely on who wins the White House for the next 4 years. Need another reason to vote this November?
• A report on school improvement activities necessitated by our "District Identified for Improvement" (DIFI) status (there's that darn NCLB again!)
• A report on single-gender classes at the 8th grade level at the Milwaukee Education Center.

. . . something for everyone to dig their teeth into!

At the Strategic Planning and Budget committee meeting on Thursday, the Board will set a calendar for the public hearings, but it appears that's the extent of the conversation that evening. However, since public testimony is taken at committee meetings, there is a chance that a debate on the budget could begin at that time.

During the Special Education committee meeting, the Board members will hear a report on compliance. I didn't read the entire 17-page report in the blue book, but it appears the administration will address the recent news that MPS is reportedly not taking advantage of special education funding available from a DPI grant program. It's safe to say there is more to that story than what appeared in the newspaper.

Attend one or all of these meetings if something you see here or in the blue book turns your crank. You will have the chance to testify if you want to.

If you do, report back here what you said and how our Board Directors responded.