{"id":9509,"date":"2024-03-14T17:15:56","date_gmt":"2024-03-14T18:15:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=9509"},"modified":"2024-03-14T19:03:14","modified_gmt":"2024-03-14T19:03:14","slug":"milwaukees-list-of-half-used-school-buildings-rises-to-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=9509","title":{"rendered":"Milwaukee\u2019s list of half-used school buildings rises to 21"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post originally appeared at https:\/\/www.badgerinstitute.org\/milwaukees-list-of-half-used-school-buildings-rises-to-21\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Big high school using only 39% of its capacity<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

The number of school buildings controlled by Milwaukee Public Schools that are most dramatically underutilized totals 21, a look at the district\u2019s complete filing with the state confirms.<\/p>\n

Among the buildings with enrollments that use less than half their capacity is the Washington High School of Information Technology, the massive facility on Milwaukee\u2019s prominent Sherman Boulevard. According to the district\u2019s own figures, the building last year could accommodate 1,294 students but was being used to educate only 511.<\/p>\n

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Washington High School of Information Technology<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The 39% utilization comes after similarly low utilization rates for the building \u2014 44% and 36% respectively \u2014 in MPS\u2019 pre-pandemic filings in 2016 and 2019.<\/p>\n

The district describes Washington<\/a> as a \u201cmagnet school\u201d despite the persistent low enrollment. According to district figures made public on the school\u2019s state report card, about 4% of its students were proficient in reading and about 91% were chronically absent in 2021-22, the most recent year available.\u00a0MPS\u2019 overall chronic absenteeism\u00a0rate<\/a> is 58%.<\/p>\n

The district\u2019s underutilization of school buildings has become an issue in an April 2 referendum, in which the district will ask voters for $252 million in annual revenue over its legal limit.<\/p>\n

The district\u2019s enrollment has declined about 40% in the past two decades, but its leaders have been slow to right-size its roster of buildings. MPS\u2019 superintendent Keith Posley has contended that closing underutilized schools wouldn\u2019t save much money. Critics, including retired long-time superintendent Bill Andrekopoulos<\/a>, have said that the scale of MPS\u2019 underutilization over time shows the district is not properly planning the use of its resources.<\/p>\n

A district spokesman declined to respond to questions sent to him Thursday morning with a 3 pm Thursday deadline, and added that 3 pm Friday \u201cwould be ideal.\u201d<\/p>\n

MPS has also been slow to respond to earlier requests for information.<\/p>\n

The district is required by law to file a report on building usage with the state every summer. A 2023 report was filed with the Legislature\u2019s Joint Finance Committee last summer but the publicly available version posted on the Committee website was incomplete<\/a>, leaving off some of the district\u2019s schools.<\/p>\n

The Badger Institute filed an open records request with MPS on March 4 but was informed by the interim director of the Office of Board Governance, Jill Kawala, that the district\u2019s interpretation of state law is that while a requestor is entitled to a \u201ctimely response,\u201d he or she is not entitled to a response within \u201cany specific time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kawala wrote that the Badger Institute could go to court but also noted that \u201cin the event a premature public records lawsuit is initiated, MPS may seek an award of costs, fees and other remedies associated with the burden and expense of responding to the action.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Badger Institute chose not to file a lawsuit to obtain the record because it was able to obtain it from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction on March 13.<\/p>\n

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