CFC MKE Education News & Views

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 8/28/2026

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 15:02:54 GMT

CFC IN THE NEWS

“How do we ensure that every one of our students is prepared for the future they’re going to confront?’ asked CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan on 620 WTMJ’s Forward Thinking, posing the central education question for this fall’s candidates. Listen to the whole post-primary episode here.

1

Voters Want Accountability, Not an End to School Choice

Context: After David Crowley defended school choice and won the Democratic primary earlier this month, national pundits echoed CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan, who called the primary a win for a “both/and” education vision: strong public schools and high-quality school choices, with a focus on student outcomes.

Why This Matters: Three developments this week frame the fall campaign:

Voters demand accountability by a 20-point margin: The new Marquette poll found voters overwhelmingly want schools held more accountable for student performance, echoing recent calls from local private school leaders Henry Tyson of St. Marcus and Richard Mannisto of Messmer High School.
Property tax relief beats new K-12 funding: The same poll found public-school satisfaction at its lowest in two years, with more voters prioritizing lower property taxes over K-12 funding increases.
Accountability, not an end to choice: “I don’t see (the election) trending toward an end of the program,” said WisPolitics Political Editor JR Ross, noting Crowley wants more accountability rather than an end to school choice.

What’s Next: Crowley holds a small lead over Tiffany in the same poll. CFC will track candidates’ positions on accountability as election season heats up this fall.

Related:

2

Cassellius: ‘Time to Make a Decision’ on MPS Buildings

Context: Nearly half of Wisconsin’s lowest-performing schools sit on Milwaukee’s North Side, where fewer than 1 in 5 students attend a high-quality school, according to CFC’s report earlier this year. Meanwhile, MPS spends more than $75 million a year maintaining vacant and underused buildings as enrollment falls.

Why This Matters: This week, Superintendent Cassellius held a press conference at Starms Discovery Learning Center, announcing $13m in renovations that are wrapping up at North Side schools.

Tonya Love, principal of Frances Starms Discovery Learning Center, with Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee School Board President Missy Zombor, ℅ Journal-Sentinel

These investments are at schools that could be “receiving schools” as part of a broader facilities plan to close underused school buildings, as State Senator Tim Carpenter suggested earlier this summer. MPS is over two years late on a facilities plan it promised before the 2024 referendum.

What’s Next: “I don’t think we need to study [the long-range plan] anymore. I think we need to make a decision,” Cassellius said. CFC agrees.

Related:

3

Tech Roundup: AI Enters Wisconsin Classrooms, Meta Settles for $17B

Context: Wisconsin’s new law requiring school districts to restrict student cellphones took effect July 1. Some parent groups now want tougher limits on classroom screens.

Why This Matters: Most schools are starting the new year without clear AI policies, leaving teachers to set their own classroom rules. The Journal-Sentinel reports on the shifts: more in-person writing assessments, Wisconsin’s 2026 Teacher of the Year integrating AI into his instruction, and evolving homework practices.

Two national studies this month reveal AI’s promise and its risks:

A new study of middle schoolers using Khan Academy’s AI chatbot found most rarely used it. When they did, math scores rose, pointing to motivation as the barrier.
Another study found that students who used AI scored higher on homework and finished faster, but scored 20% lower on exams. “Homework scores once predicted exam performance; now those who score highest are, perversely, more likely to do worse in exams,” wrote the Economist.

What’s Next: Meta settled with 47 states, including Wisconsin, for $17.1 billion this week over youth social media addiction claims. Advocates want the state funds directed to “fund real life” through outdoor, sports, and mentorship programs.

Related:

4

School Choice Grows as Wisconsin Starts the School Year

Context: Earlier this month, Journal-Sentinel columnist Alan Borsuk wrote that school choice now sits at the center of Milwaukee’s education debate, with private and public charter schools opening in new facilities as MPS enrollment declines.

Why This Matters: School choice is expanding beyond Milwaukee, as two developments showed this month;

Firsthand experience drives support: Kevin Mahnken in The 74 highlights a new study showing parents embracing alternative options once they use them, echoing the late-deciding voters CFC saw in polling who broke toward Crowley.
The federal tax credit begins next year: The Washington Post reports that states now face a decision on the federal School Choice Tax Credit, which could fund private schools and some public school services. The program will launch in 2027, and the next governor will get to decide whether Wisconsin participates.
- National expert Michael Petrilli lays out why all states should opt in, and how the program could support activities like field trips, tutoring, homework help, clubs and more for all schools.

What’s Next: An Arizona court killed a ballot measure this week that would have added accountability to its school choice system. CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan is calling on candidates for local and statewide office to strengthen transparency and accountability for all Wisconsin schools.

Related:

LOCAL

STATE

NATIONAL

School districts face a back-to-school math problem: The high price of diesel

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 08/21/2026

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 15:03:23 GMT

1

Crowley Win Shows Democrats the Way Forward on School Choice

Context: David Crowley defeated Francesca Hong last week for the Democratic nomination for governor. His defense of school choice for Milwaukee families drew late endorsements and voter support.

Why This Matters: National education writer Charles Barone broke down this week how the primary exposed a Democratic fault line: Black voters, especially in Milwaukee, strongly support public charter and private school choice (as CFC polling confirms), while white Democrats nationally are less supportive.

The analysis echoes CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan’s Journal Sentinel op-ed earlier this year arguing that Democrats had lost touch with their voters on education. In his post-election analysis,

Morgan called the primary a win for a “both/and” vision: strong public schools and high-quality school choices, with a focus on student outcomes.

What’s Next: Journal-Sentinel columnist Alan Borsuk wrote last week that school choice is now central to Milwaukee’s education debate, with voters demanding real solutions on quality, accountability, and outcomes.

CFC Action Fund will continue to inform voters in the run-up to the November 3rd election about where statewide and legislative candidates stand on education.

Related:

2

Feds Launch Investigation into MPS Disciplinary Practices

Context: Since taking office, the new US Department of Education has eliminated diversity and equity initiatives across its programs and has made cuts and changes aimed at abolishing the department.

Why This Matters: This week, the department instructed schools not to consider race in discipline decisions and opened a new investigation into MPS to determine whether district policy requires staff to do so.

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon

The investigation lands against a long-running record on discipline at MPS:

A 2021 study found Black students faced disproportionate disciplinary action.
MPS settled a federal civil rights complaint in 2018 after data showed Black students received over 80% of suspensions while making up about 56% of enrollment.

MPS spokesperson Stephen Davis said the notice of investigation “does not contain the basis or prompting for the investigation.”

What’s Next: The new guidance reverses earlier federal policy that treated disparate discipline outcomes as grounds for civil rights investigations. The department rescinded that framework earlier this summer. CFC will continue to monitor the investigation.

Related:

3

First Day of School for Milwaukee Students

Context: Schools are opening across Milwaukee this month, and with 1 in 4 publicly funded students participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP), the school year is seeing several changes to public charter and private facilities.

Why This Matters: MPS held its enrollment day on Thursday, and columnist Alan Borsuk highlighted some of the changes in the Journal-Sentinel. Changes for this school year include:

Aug Prep North opens: The new campus opened earlier this week, with 330 students enrolled and plans to grow. 80% of students receive support through MPCP. The campus is the result of a $103 million investment and more than three years of planning and construction.
First new Catholic campuses in 60 years: This month, Seton Catholic Schools opened two new campuses for a combined 1,000 students: St. Rafael the Archangel School and Prince of Peace School.
Literacy training for MPS teachers: MPS trained 1,000 teachers in the phonics-based, science of reading approach earlier this month.

Aug Prep North, opening this month.

What’s Next: Even as public charter and private schools find creative solutions for new facilities, MPS continues to spend $75 million a year maintaining underutilized facilities. The consequences of continued MPS inaction regarding facilities will extend beyond Milwaukee this school year.

4

“Honesty Gap”: New Report Highlights Wisconsin’s Lowered Expectations

Context: CFC polling earlier this year showed 92% of Wisconsin voters are concerned about academic outcomes, yet DPI has repeatedly lowered expectations for students. The latest state test results show that lowering the bar has not improved outcomes and has created an “honesty gap” between DPI’s numbers and the reality families see.

Why This Matters: A new national analysis this month examined states like Wisconsin and New York that lowered testing standards after the pandemic. National expert Andrew Rotherham acknowledged that raising standards is politically difficult when the public thinks schools are doing well, but said the fix “will require state leadership to help people understand what’s going on.”

What’s Next: Unfortunately, Superintendent Underly has not shown she believes in higher standards for Wisconsin students.

Related:

5

Tennessee, Arizona Retreat on Choice Accountability as MKE Leaders Push Back

Context: Accountability is dominating education headlines this year. CFC has argued all year that it drives academic success, a point echoed by national voices from Jeb Bush to Democrats for Ed Reform head Jorge Elorza.

Why This Matters: Two states moved in the opposite direction this month.

Tennessee: New results show voucher students overwhelmingly unprepared academically after four years, with 17% proficient in math and 24% in English. Rather than hold schools accountable, Tennessee lawmakers voted to end the test requirement for voucher schools.
Arizona: An effort to hold choice schools accountable failed to make November’s ballot, leaving the state’s voucher program without new oversight.

But here in Milwaukee, private school leaders are pushing the opposite way. Henry Tyson of St. Marcus School and Richard Mannisto of Messmer High School called for stronger quality standards in a recent interview with CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan in the Milwaukee Business Journal. Tyson said:

“More is needed in terms of performance accountability. No schools of any type that significantly underperform over multiple years should continue to receive public dollars.”

What’s Next: Morgan is calling on candidates for local and statewide office to increase transparency and accountability for all schools in Wisconsin.

Related:

LOCAL

STATE

NATIONAL

Education Was on the Ballot. And the Message Was Clear.

Colleston Morgan — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 14:23:25 GMT

Make no mistake about it: Education – and school choice, specifically – was on the ballot this past Tuesday. And the message from Milwaukee’s voters, especially in the closely contested Democratic gubernatorial primary, was clear.

But you don’t have to take that from me. The Journal Sentinel talked to a parent and voter named Mario Williams outside a North Side polling place.

Families want agency. They want to make the best choices they can for their kids, and they expect their representatives to respect those choices.

It’s also what we at City Forward Collective remain committed to fighting for. Authentic engagement with our city’s families and communities. Bold and unapologetic advocacy for policies and for leadership that reflects our shared priorities for all our kids and schools. And a clear North Star: an excellent education for every Milwaukee child, at a high-quality school of their choice.

What Voters Want on K12 Education: Both-and, not either-or

Back in March, I wrote in the Journal Sentinel that Democrats, specifically, had lost touch with their own electorate on education, and that too much of the party’s national position on school choice didn’t match what families in Milwaukee actually wanted.

In the spring, we framed the stakes for this election cycle, and shared a four-part policy platform laying out what a student-centered, cross-partisan approach could look like. And our polling with CFC Action Fund carried key insights: accountability was the unifying, 80 percent support issue, and undecided, late-breaking Democratic voters favored a candidate who supported school choice by 32 points.

We said – repeatedly and loudly – that the conversation needed to focus on the imperative to address voters’ concerns and the opportunity to build a genuine, “both/and” vision – strong public schools and high-quality school choices, with a clear focus on improving academic and life outcomes for all of Wisconsin’s students. And we were clear that proposals to end school choice were a divisive distraction, bad policy, and a political loser, especially here in Milwaukee.

Last week’s results proved this out – up and down the ballot.

Policy mattered in this race – and parent choice was one of the few areas where real differences emerged. Francesca Hong ran on ending the Parental Choice Program within four years, echoing ideologically driven special interests and advocacy groups pushing that line statewide. It didn’t work. Kelda Roys, who staked out a phased sunset position and carried the teachers union endorsement, didn’t break through either.

David Crowley’s positions on school choice — while not perfectly aligned with CFC’s priorities — were both more pragmatic and fell closer to where not just the broader electorate, but even most undecided Democratic voters actually stand on the issue. State Senator Dora Drake put it well in her endorsement of Crowley, saying that he understands the nuances facing Black and Brown families and their kids.

This showed up down-ballot as well, in wins for candidates like Rep. Priscilla Prado, who were clear about their support for school choice and their focus on lifting up every student regardless of what kind of school they attend.

Madison politicos, state legislators, and hard-left ideologues should take note. Black and Hispanic families in Milwaukee (and across the state) have spoken clearly on this issue, once again. And, as voters like Mario demonstrate, that lived experience and nuanced take mattered in their decisions on Election Day.

School Choice Doesn’t Mean Status Quo

School choice isn’t a third rail Democrats need to run from – nor, for the 1 in 4 Milwaukee families who use it, is it just a right-wing scheme or scam. In Wisconsin, it’s an issue that draws majority support on a cross-partisan basis — and in Milwaukee, it’s a reality that’s been in place for 30+ years.

Attacking the hard-fought legacy of pioneers like Dr. Howard Fuller and Polly Williams, and second-guessing the choices tens of thousands of Milwaukee families have made for their own kids, is neither good policy nor a winning political strategy.

We should be equally clear: support for parental choice doesn’t mean pretending things are perfect, either. We cannot quietly accept a status quo that continues to fail far too many of our state’s students — in any school or sector.

Wisconsin still carries the worst racial proficiency gaps in the country, a crisis that’s especially acute on Milwaukee’s North Side. Our funding formula is broken – and we still need real, student-centered reforms that fairly fund all our students, no matter their choice of school, and don’t just rely on property taxpayers to foot the bill. We still need to address lowered expectations and ensure all our students are graduating ready for the future, from the North Side to the Northwoods. And we still need real accountability for student outcomes – for every student, in every school, and across every sector.

We’ve raised these issues in every conversation we’ve had with candidates this cycle, and as we move to the general election, we’re not letting up.

I sat down recently with the Milwaukee Business Journal alongside Messmer’s Rich Mannisto and St. Marcus’s Henry Tyson to talk through what that could look like. The conversation about accountability is overdue, and it needs to happen – but as part of a serious, student-centered and cross-sector effort to improve quality, not as a cudgel, and not as thinly-veiled cover for shutting private school choice down.

This isn’t an either-or story. It’s yes-and. Strong public schools and robust school choice. Fair funding for every child and real accountability for outcomes. As with many issues, the reality is more complex than soundbites, and the solutions lie in finding the reasonable center, not with the loudest voices on either extreme.

Our Work Continues: CFC’s General Election Plans

CFC’s advocacy in defense of parent choice is firm, and foundational to our work — not because we see choice as an end in itself, but because we believe every child is unique and deserves an excellent education, one that taps their unique potential and prepares them to thrive. And we’re clear-eyed that continued vigilance is required; one night’s primary results don’t mean the issue has been laid to rest, politically.

In the coming weeks, we will do what we always do: start with the facts, and lay out each candidate’s positions and how they compare to our priorities, on parent choice and beyond. We will continue to be steadfast advocates for all our city’s students, families, and schools — engaging across political lines to advance policy and support leaders who share our vision of high-quality, fairly funded, and accountable schools for every Milwaukee child. And we’ll do this in a principled, pragmatic way — with clarity of purpose, not making the perfect the enemy of progress.

It’s time to put down the ideological swords and get to work, together, building the schools and the future all our kids deserve. Milwaukee’s voters are tired of the divisive sector wars, and Milwaukee’s kids don’t have time to wait for us to finish fighting.

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 8/14/2026

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:02:33 GMT

CFC IN THE NEWS

In the final days before this week’s gubernatorial primary, CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan told the Wisconsin Examiner:

“I also think we have forgotten the reality that when you say we’re going to end vouchers or we’re going to put forward budget amendments that exclude the voucher program from these increases — what you’re saying is you’re defunding or underfunding one-fourth of the students in the state’s largest city,”

CFC Executive Director framed the big education question for the general election on 620 WTMJ after Tuesday’s results came in: “How do we ensure that every one of our students is prepared for the future that they’re going to confront?” Listen to the whole interview here.

1

Education Helps Power Crowley’s Come From Behind Primary Win

Context: Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley won the Democratic nomination for governor this week, defeating Francesca Hong after a campaign full of political drama in which school choice emerged as the central policy divide.

Why This Matters: National coverage focused on what the race meant for Democrats nationally,, missing how education shaped it:

Policy divide: In the final weeks, Hong reiterated her promise to end all school choice programs across the state, including the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, which serves over 30,000 Milwaukee students,1 in 4 publicly-funded students,
- Crowley defended Milwaukee families’ educational options, helping to gain several major endorsements in the final weeks.
Polling favored choice: CFC polling found undecided voters overwhelmingly support school choice, 30 points more likely to support a candidate who supports choice. Voters understood the history of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, launched by Polly Williams and Dr. Howard Fuller. In Milwaukee, calls to “end the voucher system” proved to be a political loser.
Voters said kids matter: One Milwaukee voter cited Crowley’s support for Wisconsin’s voucher programs as his reason, noting his 11-year-old daughter attends school outside her neighborhood while saying, “Let’s just hope for a change. Hope for better.”

The results confirm what CFC has argued all year: Democrats can win on education by embracing a “both/and” vision that pairs school choice with strong public schools. Crowley embraced both, and late-breaking swing voters rewarded him.

What’s Next: The results of the legislative primaries set up a November election in which, for the first time since 2010, both parties have a genuine shot at winning majorities in both houses, due to new voting maps.

In Milwaukee-area races, Priscilla Prado won the State Assembly District 9 race with over 70% of the vote, showing how standing up for all students can lead to large wins in Milwaukee.

Crowley faces Republican Tom Tiffany on November 3rd. CFC Action Fund will continue to inform voters throughout the fall about where statewide and legislative candidates stand on education.

Related:

2

“School Choice is on the Move” as Milwaukee Starts School Year

Context: Since school let out in June, MPS has passed a budget adding more teaching positions, increased its recruiting efforts, hired a new finance officer from the state, and dealt with the fallout from a fire that destroyed the vacant Lincoln Avenue School (ruled an accident this week).

Why This Matters: As schools prepare to re-open, local columnist Alan Borsuk writes that, “by looking at what parents and kids are actually doing in making decisions of their own, this is increasingly a school choice world,” pointing to successes in the public charter and private successes:

Carmen moves away from MPS: Carmen is opening a new $55m campus and a renovated high school on North King Drive outside of MPS — meaning that MPS is losing hundreds of students and millions of dollars, as CFC has pointed out.
Aug Prep North opens: The new north campus will launch with about 330 students, with plans to grow. 80% of students receive support through the state school choice program.
Crowley wins on school choice: Borsuk writes that “The outcome of the primary means the next governor of Wisconsin, whether it is Crowley or Republican Tom Tiffany, won’t be out to overturn the voucher program.”

What’s Next: Even as public charter and private schools find creative solutions for new facilities (see Item 5), MPS continues to spend $75 million a year maintaining vacant and underutilized buildings. Declining enrollment will only widen the gap between building costs and classroom investment.

Related:

3

WI Loses Educated Workers at Second-Highest Rate in Nation

Context: Public school enrollment in Wisconsin has dropped nearly 10% over the past 15 years, driving up property taxes and straining budgets, especially after the legislature rejected a school funding deal earlier this summer.

Why This Matters: A new Wisconsin Policy Forum report finds Wisconsin has the second-biggest net loss of young, educated workers in the country. MMAC’s Dale Kooyenga said the “brain drain” matters because jobs in growth industries increasingly require a college education.

The problem hits rural districts hardest, where employers struggle to fill jobs in healthcare and pharmacy, and shrinking youth populations force consolidation. Hustisford took another step toward dissolution earlier this summer.

What’s Next: CFC believes the school funding formula is broken, and that the solution is fair funding following every student, no matter their choice of school

Related:

4

New Studies Show Accountability and Choice Working

Context: CFC has argued all year that accountability drives academic success, echoed by national voices from Jeb Bush to the head of Democrats for Ed Reform, Jorge Elorza.

Why this Matters: Two new studies this week back the case with direct implications for MPS:

Indiana public charter successes: A new Brown University study finds Indiana’s public charter students posted greater academic growth after the pandemic than peers in traditional public schools, with the largest gains for Black, Hispanic, low-income, and lowest-performing students. Indianapolis adopted a new accountability model in 2025 that offers MPS a new roadmap.
Outcomes-based contracts: Former Newark superintendent Chris Cerf writes that building student outcome provisions into curriculum and coaching contracts produces stronger results. As MPS expands literacy training, the approach could sharpen how the district picks and holds its vendors accountable.

What’s Next: CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan is calling for a stronger statewide focus on accountability this election year: “At some point, the question has to stop being about how much we’re spending and start being about whether anyone is telling the truth about what we’re getting for it.”

Related:

5

Seton Catholic Opens New Campuses

Context: The Seton Family of Catholic Schools in Milwaukee serves 3,600 students across 15 schools in Greater Milwaukee, enriching neighborhoods and local communities, with the support of the Milwaukee Parental Choice program (see Item 1). Its schools continually exceed student expectations and provide a high-quality education for thousands of Milwaukee families, yet, like public charter schools, it needs non-public funds to meet its facilities needs for its growing student population.

Why This Matters: This week, Seton opened two new campuses for a combined 1,000 students: St. Rafael the Archangel School and Prince of Peace School. The schools will open to students on Aug. 24. Mayor Johnson was on hand for the ribbon-cutting earlier this week, celebrating more opportunities for working-class Milwaukee families.

What’s Next: The two campuses represent the first new Catholic grade schools in nearly 60 years. Congratulations to the families, teachers and school leaders on the new facilities.

Related:

LOCAL

STATE

NATIONAL

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 8/7/2026

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:58:21 GMT

Make An Informed Vote: CFC’s Voter Information Resources for the August 11th Election

Our partners at CFC Action Fund have two ways to engage in the primary next Tuesday:

The Get Involved Hub has opportunities to take action
Where They Stand gives factual, cited information for voters to inform themselves about candidates’ positions on K12 education issues.

CFC IN THE NEWS

“Holding schools accountable for delivering results makes all of the sense in the world”: In the Milwaukee Business Journal, Henry Tyson, Superintendent of St. Marcus School, and Richard Mannisto, President of Messmer High School, talked to CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan about results, school choice, and public funding.

“The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program’s author was Polly Williams in the early 1990s, and the name came directly from the parents, Polly Williams, and Dr. Howard Fuller, who worked to organize this program,” said CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan on 620 WTMJ this week, debunking myths about Milwaukee schools. Listen to Forward Thinking here.

1

Days Before Election, Hong Calls to Defund Schools for 30,000 Milwaukee Kids By 2030

Context: After months of debates and political drama, the Wisconsin Democratic primary ends on Tuesday, August 11th.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley criticized Francesca Hong for her plans to gut school choice in Milwaukee:

“To say you’re gonna end this system and push all these children back into the public schools who don’t have enough resources right now, lets me know you’re not concerned about how that’s gonna burden the public school system, or even place burdens on this community or those families that utilize it.”

State Senator Dora Drake, Chair of the State Black Caucus, endorsed Crowley, saying:

“I want someone as governor who will focus on getting things done rather than political platitudes that dictate where Black and brown parents should send their kids to school.”

Why This Matters: This week, on a national podcast rather than local news, Hong promised to gut parent choice in Wisconsin by 2030 again:

Defund the schools: Hong vowed to end every single one of the state’s four school choice programs, including the overwhelmingly effective Milwaukee Parent Choice Program, which serves over 30,000 kids, mostly kids of color.
Abandon families in need: Hong believes that the equitable decision for the state government is to abandon some of Milwaukee’s lowest-income families without any plan for what comes next. The cuts would quickly wreck school budgets, even before the supposed 2030 date.
Ignored the voters: Her stance contradicts Wisconsin voters, who support school choice by a 2-to-1 margin.

CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan made the stakes of the primary election clear two weeks ago, writing: “Ask Hong what [her] plan is for the 30,000 kids they’d displace, and it stops sounding like a plan at all…no candidate who can’t answer that basic question deserves to be governor.”

Joel Brennan, former Secretary of Administration, reiterated a focus on accountability in the final days: “Any school that takes taxpayer money should meet accountability and transparency standards that public schools are held to. I want all schools to be held accountable for quality outcomes and stronger performance.”

What’s Next: The final choice belongs to voters: early voting continues through the weekend, and Election Day is next Tuesday, August 11.

You can read the candidates’ positions at CFC Action Fund’s Where They Stand, take action this weekend on the Get Involved Hub, and find your polling place here.

Related:

2

Carmen Schools Opens New Campuses

Context: Starting in the 2026-27 school year, Carmen Schools will open two new campuses:

Carmen Schools of Science and Technology Northwest (at the former Hope Christian High School)
The brand new $55 million Southgate building with athletic fields, tech spaces and new classrooms that can serve up to 1,000 students.

Congratulations to the students, families, teachers and school leaders on the new facilities.

Why This Matters: But why did Carmen Schools, a series of public charter schools, need to move? The MPS Board’s decision-making:

In October 2024, the MPS board voted to end lease agreements for Carmen’s South and Southeast schools, which were colocated with two MPS schools. The board kicked hundreds of families and students out of existing public facilities.
- These schools will now share the new Southgate building.
Then, in late 2025, the MPS board voted to kick out Carmen Northwest by providing only a one-year, non-renewable extension. As CFC made clear at the time, the decision was not about school quality: over 80 MPS schools had lower student achievement.
- Now, these families are at the old Hope Christian site.

The MPS Board’s ideological decisions not only hurt Carmen families; they also cost MPS $15m, as it lost recurring per-student revenue from these public charter schools.

What’s Next: Milwaukee’s philanthropic and corporate community responded with over $12 million in commitments: the Kellner family, Arzbaecher Family Foundation, Burke Foundation, Robert W. Baird, We Energies, Herb Kohl Philanthropies, and Northwestern Mutual Foundation.

While MPS rejected its public charter partners, Carmen and the community adapted to serve Milwaukee families.

Related:

3

Declining Enrollment + Broken State Funding Formula = A Wisconsin-Wide Problem

Context: Public school enrollment in Wisconsin has dropped nearly 10% over the past 15 years due to lower birth rates.

Fewer students strain state budgets and drive up property taxes. Legislators rejected a June budget deal that would have helped districts weather the decline at the urging of both Democratic and Republican gubernatorial candidates.

Why This Matters: The consequences are stark. Hustisford School Board voted in July to dissolve following five failed referendums this decade, a move that takes effect next summer. As districts continue to face declining enrollment over the coming years, the current state finance system will break down further, as it will have to support smaller and smaller districts with higher overhead.

Here in Milwaukee, the building footprint was designed for a much larger population of students, inflating facility and transportation costs, a disparity CFC has flagged.

What’s Next: CFC believes the funding formula is broken, and that the solution is fair funding following every student, no matter their choice of school. CFC will continue advocating for fair funding regardless of what happens in this year’s elections.

Related:

4

The Houston Model: Superintendent Makes Case for Accountability for School Turnaround

Context: The Houston Independent School District (HISD) had faced decades of low student achievement and bureaucratic incompetence before the state of Texas took over in 2023 and appointed Mike Miles as superintendent over objections of teachers unions and some community groups.

In 2025, student achievement results showed ‘historic gains’, with three-quarters of the once-failing district’s schools labeled as an A or a B.

Why This Matters: Now, Superintendent Miles is sharing the lessons for how HISD turned itself around:

Accountability: Miles refocused the entire accountability system through clear expectations for instructional quality and academic results, allowing schools to earn autonomy over time as they achieved academic success.
- In this week’s Milwaukee Business Journal, the leaders of St. Marcus School and Messmer High School called for meaningful accountability on graduation rates, financial performance, and student achievement.
Resources into classroom instruction: Across the state, the new turnaround effort in Fort Worth puts more staff into classrooms and focuses on reteaching standards to increase student proficiency.

What’s Next: As Milwaukee continues to face massive achievement gaps and an educational crisis on the city’s North Side, leaders should look towards Houston’s success as a possible path forward.

Related:

LOCAL

NATIONAL

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 7/31/2026

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 15:01:55 GMT

Make An Informed Vote: CFC’s Voter Information Resources for the August 11th Election

Our partners at CFC Action Fund have two ways to engage in the August 11th primary:

The Get Involved Hub has opportunities to take action
The Where They Stand gives factual, cited information for voters to inform themselves about candidates’ positions on K12 education issues.

CFC In the News

On 620 WTMJ, CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan outlined just how deeply rooted the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program is with low-income and working-class Milwaukee voters. The full episode is here.

“Francesca Hong, Mandela Barnes, and Kelda Roys each used the stage to repeat their pitch to phase out or “responsibly end” Wisconsin’s Parental Choice Programs….There is no responsible way to do that. It takes away an option that families across this state fought for and that tens of thousands of them – 30,000 in Milwaukee alone — rely on right now,”-CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan, CFC Corner

1

Barnes Exits Race as Democratic Field Narrows Around Anti-School Choice Candidate

Context: Former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped his bid for governor last night, scrambling the race to replace Gov. Tony Evers less than two weeks from the Democratic primary. Barnes announced he was dropping out of the race on July 30 amid news that the state party had reviewed past allegations of inappropriate behavior. He is the third major Democratic candidate to exit the race.

Why This Matters: Though Barnes didn’t endorse a candidate in departing the race, democratic socialist lawmaker Francesca Hong has led recent polls.

Hong has called for sunsetting Wisconsin’s school choice programs, which would devastate the roughly 50,000 Milwaukee students currently attending charter and choice schools. And Hong isn’t alone: at this week’s debate, Roys and Barnes (before he left the race) agreed with Hong, calling for reducing or ending the state’s school choice system.

Policy-wise, CFC has noted that such a phase-out is functionally impossible: schools would collapse within 2-3 years, leaving families without viable educational options. Politically, her stance also contradicts what Wisconsin voters actually want: CFC polling shows Wisconsin voters support school choice by a 2-to-1 margin. 80% are more likely to back a candidate who would hold all publicly funded schools accountable for outcomes.

What’s Next: Hong’s chief rival for the nomination is now Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, presenting voters with a clear choice: a candidate who wants to eliminate school choice or one who is potentially more aligned with accountability and family agency. The August 11 primary is less than two weeks away.

With Hong as the likely Democratic nominee, Wisconsin families who depend on school choice will be watching closely.

Related:

2

School Funding and Act 10 Head Toward Wisconsin’s Liberal Supreme Court

Context: Wisconsin’s school funding formula is broken, prompting CFC’s calls to fund students rather than the system. This year, a group of parents and educators sued in state court to overturn the formula, a case that would reshape funding across every sector.

Why This Matters: This week, Judge Sarah Harless denied the Wisconsin Independent Charter School Advocates’ motion to dismiss, advancing the case.

A second education case moved this week as well. A state appeals court upheld Act 10, the 2011 collective bargaining law that reshaped workers’ rights for teachers and public employees. The judge ruled the union lawsuit raised issues already settled by prior state and federal decisions.

What’s Next: Unions are expected to appeal the Act 10 ruling, sending both cases toward the Wisconsin Supreme Court, where the April elections grew the liberal majority to 5-2.

Related:

3

MPS Ops Changes: Chicago Recruits, State Finance Lead, Transit Overhaul

Context: MPS Superintendent Cassellius is working to close the district’s structural deficit and prioritize classroom positions amid ongoing financial pressure and declining student enrollment.

Why This Matters: This summer, MPS has made a series of operational shifts:

Filling teacher vacancies: MPS is recruiting educators facing cuts at Chicago Public Schools, offering on-the-spot interviews and job offers at Chicago job fairs. The latest budget added more than 150 teaching and paraprofessional positions, and the district still faces over 100 vacancies.
New DPI finance hire: The MPS board voted to hire state official Jennifer Buros as deputy chief financial officer. Buros worked closely with Cassellius in her first year to correct financial reporting problems from the previous administration. The reorganization replaces two unfilled senior finance positions.
Transportation overhaul: MPS’s building footprint was designed for a much larger district, inflating facility and transportation costs, a disparity CFC has flagged. MPS is reviewing school schedules, walking distances to bus stops, and moving more students onto public transit to cut costs.

What’s Next: Meanwhile, several MPS afterschool programs face cuts this fall as pandemic-era child care funding expires.

Related:

4

Top-Rated Aug Prep Opens on Former Cardinal Stritch Campus

Context: Saint Augustine Preparatory Academy, a top-rated school in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (see Item 1), opens its new campus on the former Cardinal Stritch site August 17.

Why This Matters: Aug Prep will start the 2026-27 school year with 330 students: 100 ninth graders and 230 in 4-year-old kindergarten through sixth grade. The school will add grades each year until it reaches a full 4K-12 model.

CEO Abby Andrietsch said the campus has capacity for 1,500 students, with a long-term plan to grow to 2,500.

What’s Next: A high-quality school is expanding in Milwaukee, opening seats for families for years to come.

Related:

5

How to Fix the US’s Low Student Achievement? Accountability and Data

Context: National test scores have dropped across subjects, a decline that began before the pandemic. Remote learning drove further losses, but the stagnation started before 2020.

Why This Matters: In The 74, Conor P. Williams pointed to accountability as the fix, saying policymakers “need to set compelling, transparent goals for K–12 systems that reflect families’ actual priorities.” A recent Pew poll shows 70% of parents believe schools aren’t spending enough time on core academic subjects.

Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg argued that better data is essential to raising achievement. Pointing to literacy gains in southern states, Bloomberg called on the federal government to keep funding the Nation’s Report Card and rigorous research, and on parents to hold elected officials accountable.

What’s Next: These calls echo CFC’s focus on accountability and its work calling out DPI for lowering student expectations.

Related:

LOCAL

5 takeaways from Milwaukee County, MPS middle school youth risk survey

STATE

NATIONAL

There Is No “Responsible” Way to End School Choice

Colleston Morgan — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 13:21:04 GMT

Last week, four of the five remaining Democratic candidates for governor showed up in Superior for a forum hosted by the Wisconsin Public Education Network, an advocacy group aligned with the state’s teachers unions. Francesca Hong, Mandela Barnes, and Kelda Roys each used the stage to repeat their pitch to phase out or “responsibly end” Wisconsin’s Parental Choice Programs.

I want to be clear: There is no responsible way to do that. Every version of this idea, no matter how carefully worded, ends in the same place. It takes away an option that families across this state fought for and that tens of thousands of them – 30,000 in Milwaukee alone — rely on right now.

There’s simply nothing fair, equitable, or progressive about denying Black and Brown families’ agency, taking away choices for our children that elders in our community like Howard Fuller and Polly Williams fought to create, and defunding schools that have served our students.

It’s past time for elected officials and candidates to reject this misguided idea, once and for all.

Set policy aside for a second, because the politics alone should give these campaigns pause. Wisconsin voters back school choice by a wide margin – 52 percent in CFC’s spring poll, with Marquette’s numbers landing in a similar range.

Among the undecided Democratic primary voters who will actually decide this race, the math gets worse for Hong, Barnes, and Roys. Asked whether they’d be more or less likely to support a candidate who backs school choice, undecideds broke 41 to 27 in favor. Nearly half the primary electorate hasn’t picked a candidate yet, and the voters still up for grabs lean more favorably toward choice than the ones who’ve already committed.

It doesn’t get better in a general election: Hong, whose campaign is aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, currently trails Republican Tom Tiffany in head-to-head polling. School choice is one of a number of issues where the leftmost edge of the Democratic primary electorate is out of step with the majority of the state’s voters. Running further left on an issue where voters statewide already disagree with you is an odd way to close that gap.

We made this case back in the spring, and nothing since has changed it. This kind of extreme, ideological rhetoric misses what both Milwaukee families fought for generations for, and what undecided Democratic primary voters are actually looking for. Well-funded special interest groups, progressive activists, and campaign operations are targeting a primary electorate that does not resemble the families for whom the program was originally created – or the voters they will need to secure in November.

Now the policy – because as bad as the politics are, this idea is even worse on the merits. Milwaukee’s Parental Choice Program (MPCP) serves more than 30,000 kids. If it were its own school district, MPCP would be the second largest in Wisconsin, the highest-poverty, and the most racially diverse.

Or, to put that into perspective for Madison politicians like Hong and Roys: MPCP enrolls 5,000 more students than the Madison Metropolitan School District, serves a population twice as low-income and 50% more racially diverse.

And, with these demographics, MPCP schools outperform Milwaukee Public Schools on every state-tested measure of academic proficiency. Every MPCP student takes the same state assessments as their MPS peers, and on both English and math, they’re meeting expectations at meaningfully higher rates. That gap only widens over time, showing up again years later in ACT scores.

Here’s the reality: Ending the program doesn’t make 30,000 students disappear. It sends most of them into MPS instead, a district mired near the bottom of the nation in academic outcomes, and already carrying a looming half-billion-dollar deficit. Nobody proposing this has said where the classroom seats or the money for that many new students would come from.

It wouldn’t solve MPS’s money problem either. Choice programs account for less than 5% of what Wisconsin spends on K-12 education every year. It’s less than half of what it would cost just to raise the state’s special education reimbursement rate to a reasonable level – a genuine funding gap that actually deserves attention. And the state spends more than double what it spends on school choice, $1.2 billion, on the School Levy Tax Credit – a tax credit1 that substantially benefits out-of-state owners of vacation homes. If Democrats want a real giveaway to the wealthy to campaign against, that’s the one.

CFC wants what our community is demanding: a serious conversation about accountability and transparency for every school in every sector, private, public charter, and district alike. We want to fix chronic absenteeism, shore up early literacy, and close the racial achievement gaps that have defined Milwaukee’s North Side for a generation. Those are the real priorities, and we’re ready to work on them with anyone who’s serious.

But you can’t have that conversation in good faith with people who hijack the term “accountability” for their extreme, ideological agenda. Every time “responsible sunset” gets floated, it swallows the actual work that needs doing, and it lets the candidates proposing it dodge the harder questions about what they’d actually do for Milwaukee’s schools.

Ask Hong, Barnes, or Roys what their plan is for the 30,000 kids they’d displace, and “sunset” stops sounding like a plan at all. Milwaukee families built this program and depend on it today. No press release or half-baked political talking point changes this, and no candidate who can’t answer that basic question deserves to be governor.

Advocates across the spectrum, from the Badger Institute to the Association for Equity in Funding have pointed this out

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 7/24/2026

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 15:02:40 GMT

1

Governor’s Race: Crowley Returns, Candidates Talk Education, and Voters Remain Undecided

Context: The August 11th primary is under three weeks away. Lt. Gov Rodriguez dropped out, the Democratic fundraising race is tight, and Republicans enter with $8m+ for Tiffany and a bigger financial edge than 2022.

Why This Matters: Several key developments reshaped the race this week:

Crowley jumps back in: Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley reentered the race after Rodriguez dropped out — this time with Gov. Evers’ endorsement. He’s running on experience and electability. He’s raised $550,000 since he re-entered the race and is already airing ads.

Candidates talk education, school choice: In WisPolitics-State Affairs and WisconsinEye interviews, Francesca Hong, Mandela Barnes, and Kelda Roys (in her own press release) all proposed ending the Parental Choice Program, which serves 1 in 4 Milwaukee students, more than 30,000 in total. Hong and Roys both championed AB 1176, a bill that would have defunded nearly half of Milwaukee’s students in public charter and private schools. Crowley and Joel Brennan, meanwhile, embraced fair funding for every child and real accountability.

New poll shows tight race and high undecideds: The latest Marquette University poll, taken before Crowley’s reentry, shows 48% of voters still undecided. CFC polling from earlier this year found undecided Democratic primary voters much more supportive of school choice than committed voters. Hong leads all candidates at 27% but trails Tiffany in a potential general election matchup.

What’s Next: CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan argued on WTMJ that education belongs at the center of this race. Track where every candidate stands on our CFC Action Fund Where They Stand page, updated in real time.

Related:

2

DPI Touts Rankings While Ignoring Achievement Gap

Context: Under Superintendent Underly, DPI has shielded teacher misconduct, sabotaged Milwaukee’s efforts to get students reading, lowered standards, and looked away as the previous MPS superintendent mismanaged its finances.

Why This Matters: This week, DPI praised a WalletHub report ranking states by inputs like class size and teacher credentials, placing Wisconsin fifth. Last month, DPI ignored a study from the same company ranking Wisconsin last in racial equality in education by comparing actual outcomes across race.

Meanwhile, declining enrollment is driving a growing wave of school and district consolidations. The Hustisford School District took another step toward dissolution this month, part of a national trend as student populations shrink (see Item 3).

What’s Next: DPI lacks the political will to address the real crisis: the nation’s worst achievement gap, centered on Milwaukee’s North Side.

Related:

3

Cleveland Offers a Blueprint for Shrinking Districts

Context: A massive fire destroyed the vacant Lincoln Avenue School earlier this month, requiring a complete demolition. In the fire, teachers lost years of supplies they had purchased for their classrooms, on top of the student photos, drawings, mementos, and gifts they had accumulated over decades of teaching.

The MPS Foundation continues to accept donations to replace needed supplies for the school, and the district is collecting supplies for Lincoln Avenue students and staff at its central office, 5225 W. Vliet St, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

But the fire exposed how MPS has ignored basic work in the district’s older buildings like lead paint abatement and fire safety.

Why This Matters: A new national report shows how a city with similar problems, Cleveland, is leading on how to adjust to the new reality of declining enrollment and too many old buildings:

Cross-sector, local leadership: Cleveland leaders, including Mayor Justin Bibb, are tackling the problem head-on and learning from other districts.
A clear rationale: District leadership has communicated directly why Cleveland must consolidate: a nearly 50% enrollment drop has driven up building costs and diverted dollars from college, career, and enrichment programs.
Feedback and transparency: District officials met with families, staff, and students at every affected school, gathered input through surveys and town halls, and published a full schedule of transition and welcoming activities online.

What’s Next: MPS’s facilities plan is more than two years overdue, and a half-billion-dollar fiscal cliff looms. CFC has laid out the imperative for months, and MPS needs a comprehensive facilities strategy before the next crisis, not after it.

You can donate to the Lincoln Avenue fund here.

Related:

4

New National Research: Milwaukee’s Education Crisis Isn’t a Funding Problem

Context: Several Democratic gubernatorial candidates are campaigning on promises to “fully fund public schools.” But CFC has consistently shown that Milwaukee doesn’t lack revenue, ranking in the top 10 districts nationally for per-pupil funding, but struggles with how it spends.

Why This Matters: A new national Brookings report confirms what CFC has found locally:

High-poverty districts already spend more: The researchers found that high-poverty and predominantly non-white districts have spent more per pupil than their wealthier counterparts for decades, undercutting the premise that unequal funding drives unequal outcomes.
Spending alone doesn’t close gaps: Lead author Sarah Reber told The 74 that the prevailing narrative linking local property tax financing to educational inequality does not hold up in the data.
More money, fewer students, no gains: A separate national analysis shows where the increased funding went this decade: districts are employing substantially more staff while serving fewer students, with little to show for it academically.

What’s Next: MPS spends among the most per pupil of any district in the state and produces among the worst results. CFC has laid out what Milwaukee actually needs: fair funding across sectors, and real accountability for outcomes.

Related:

5

MKE Public Charter School Expanding

Context: Too often, we don’t celebrate public schools in Milwaukee that are having great success. Seeds of Health, the very first K-12 charter school agency in the State of Wisconsin, operates schools that help students learn, with 100% graduation rates and national recognition for its flagship Veritas High School. Their signature small-school model has created supportive learning environments where no student is just a number, and every individual has a direct path to success.

Why This Matters: This week, Seeds of Health announced a major expansion for Veritas High School:

Beginning in the 2027-28 school year, we will open a second campus, Veritas East, located at 2745 South 13th Street (in the current Grandview High School building).
The flagship Veritas campus located at 3025 West Oklahoma Avenue will be renamed Veritas West. Together, these two campuses will allow us to bring our high-quality, small-school education to even more students in Milwaukee.
Seeds of Health is expanding Veritas, in part, with an $800,000 Expansion and Planning Subgrant from DPI.

What’s Next: Congratulations to Seeds of Health. We look forward to seeing more positive results from Veritas East and West.

LOCAL

STATE

Student loan defaults surge in Wisconsin, US after federal reprieve ends - The Milwaukee Courier

NATIONAL

Democracy Only Works When Voters Show Up Informed

Colleston Morgan — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 13:04:30 GMT

My first job after college was as a high school civics teacher, and the lesson I drilled into my students, and still repeat to my own girls, was simple: democracy only works when voters show up informed. Not on vibes and polls, but on the facts, on what candidates have actually committed to, and what they’ve refused to say.

That conviction only got sharper after the last two weeks of high political drama. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley re-entered the governor’s race with Governor Evers’ endorsement, just days after Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez’s exit reshuffled the field.

Now, I love a good political plot twist as much as anyone (maybe more than most!) – and the last few weeks have certainly delivered more than their fair share of them. But it’s time for a reset on the serious stakes ahead: the decisions Wisconsin voters make this fall, starting with the August 11th primary, will shape K-12 education policy for a generation.

Our kids can’t afford for those decisions to ride on soundbites. That’s why we’re sharing two new resources to help Milwaukee voters make informed decisions:

Our Get Involved hub and Voter Information page, with everything you need to know how to register, find out what’s on the ballot, and make a plan to vote.
Our Where They Stand candidate guides, with detailed, cited breakdowns of where every candidate stands on K-12 education issues.

This spring, we laid out CFC’s student-first policy priorities for the state’s next leaders:

Fix Wisconsin’s Broken School Funding Model, an antiquated relic that’s failing both schools and property taxpayers, by joining 30+ other states in adopting a new formula that instead funds students, not sectors;
Embrace & Protect Families’ Access to School Choice, recognizing that more than 100,000 students – 1 in 5 statewide – exercise some form of choice, and that here in Milwaukee, families have led the fight for this right for 30+ years;
Hold Every School Accountable for Student Outcomes, addressing the concerns of more than 90% of voters that lowered academic standards are resulting in students not being prepared for the future; and
Address The Ongoing Challenges at MPS, acknowledging that even with some recent progress, the state’s largest district remains one of the most troubled urban school systems in the country, both academically and financially.

All year, we’ve engaged directly with candidates for governor and in contested Milwaukee legislative races, asking where they stand on that agenda. Some answered. Some went quiet. We believe voters deserve to know either way, which is what Where They Stand is for.

Clear differences have emerged on the issue of K12 education in the crowded Democratic field for governor:

Where candidates for Wisconsin Governor stand on K-12 Education issues.

David Crowley and Joel Brennan are rejecting the false divide between strong public schools and protecting families’ access to school choices – instead choosing to embrace the need for fair funding for every child, and real accountability for every publicly-funded school.
Meanwhile, Francesca Hong, Mandela Barnes, and Kelda Roys have each proposed eliminating the state’s Parental Choice Programs, which serves 1 in 4 Milwaukee students – more than 30,000 in total – as well as new limits on public charter schools.
And, as sitting legislators, Hong and Roys both championed AB 1176, a bill that would have defunded the nearly half of Milwaukee’s students in public charter and private schools, on top of a funding gap already north of $200 million.

In contested local Democratic primaries, we also see candidates – from across the ideological spectrum – who are choosing to stand up for all of our city’s students and schools, instead of pitting them against each other:

Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez in Assembly District 8, where 61% of students are enrolled in public charter or private schools;
Rep. Priscilla Prado in Assembly District 9, where 48% of students are enrolled in public charter or private schools; and
Jordan Roman, the challenger in Assembly District 12, where 58% of students are enrolled in public charter or private schools

Where They Stand is a living document. As candidates debate or take new positions, we’ll update it in real time. Through our advocacy affiliate, CFC Action Fund, we’ll keep engaging candidates directly and advocating for these common-sense, shared priorities, in a cross-partisan and evidence-first manner, as we always do.

Our call to action is simple: Your vote is your voice. Make a plan to get informed, starting with Where They Stand, and to vote on or before August 11th. Share it with your neighbors, your fellow parents, your networks. Democracy only works – for us, for our students, and for our future – when we all do.

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 7/17/2026

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 14:57:27 GMT

1

Wisconsin’s Primary Campaign Season: Cash Flows and a Campaign Shakeup

BREAKING: Sara Rodriguez announced this morning that she is suspending her campaign.

Context: The 2026 election cycle will define education in Wisconsin for a generation up and down the ballot, as CFC wrote this spring.

This week, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez fired her campaign manager after discovering her campaign had far less money than it had reported. Democratic strategist Scot Ross told CBS58, “I think it is a devastating blow to her campaign… this could not be a worse time to have something like this happen.”

Why This Matters: New finance reports and Rodriguez’s stumble are reshaping the primary landscape, from the governor’s race down to the legislature:

Governor’s race cash: Francesca Hong, Kelda Roys, and Joel Brennan each reported over $350,000 cash on hand. Barnes reported just over $200,000. Republican candidate Tom Tiffany raised $8.7 million over the first six months of the year, with nearly $6.2 million in transfers from the state Republican Party.
Legislative committees: The Republican legislative fundraising committees outraised their Democratic counterparts: in the Assembly, $6.5m to $3m, and in the Senate, nearly $5m to $2.9m. The high totals reflect the many closely contested seats this year.
A “changed race”: Brennan and Roys are both moving to capitalize on the shakeup. Brennan told the Journal-Sentinel he’s had more calls returned in 48 hours than the prior three days combined, while Roys reported a similar uptick in media interest and support.

Candidate Joel Brennan

What’s Next: With the primary under a month away, the CFC Action Fund has resources to help voters evaluate every candidate’s position and understand where they stand, across every race on the ballot

Related:

2

Lincoln Avenue’s Lesson: Misplaced Priorities, Not Missing Funds

Context: A massive fire destroyed the vacant Lincoln Avenue School earlier this month, requiring a complete demolition. No students, staff, or residents were harmed, and CFC joins others across the city in our gratitude for the Fire Department and City’s quick response.

Why This Matters: The Wisconsin Public Education Network, which directly attacks parental choice programs, blamed the fire on a lack of finding last week.. Several Democratic gubernatorial candidates are making the same claim, promising “fully funded public schools” in the final weeks of the primary.

Yet State Senator Tim Carpenter said, MPS should take this moment to consider downsizing and sell older buildings with declining enrollment.

CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan countered the “fully funding” claim in this week’s Journal-Sentinel: MPS is spending more than $75 million each year maintaining vacant and underutilized school buildings, enough for 30 buildings’ worth of fire sprinkler installations. The spending also drives up property taxes, and 4 in 5 voters said the legislature (including several candidates) should have already passed property tax relief.

Prior MPS boards ignored basic life-safety work in the district’s older buildings: lead paint abatement, fire suppression, air conditioning. Superintendent Cassellius’s most recent budget made progress on prioritizing resources for classrooms, but after two tax hikes and $330M+ in new, annually recurring revenues since 2020, MPS still faces a significant trust gap and a looming half-billion-dollar deficit over the next five years.

What’s Next: Cassellius and Lincoln Avenue’s Principal Damaris Ayala met with parents this week, and Lincoln Avenue’s displaced students move to Pulaski High this fall. MPS also closed several summer sites this week due to heat, another sign the district’s building priorities need to change.

Related:

3

39 States Don’t Elect Their Superintendent. Why Does Wisconsin?

Context: Under State Superintendent Jill Underly, DPI has lowered standards, allowed MPS to mismanage its finances, turned a blind eye to teacher misconduct, and hurt Milwaukee’s efforts to get students reading on grade level.

Why This Matters: In California, Gov. Newsom led a coalition of reformers and legislators in this year’s state budget to change the elected superintendent’s power and report to the governor instead.

Only 11 states still elect their chief education officer. Wisconsin is the only one of those 11 without an elected state board, too — meaning DPI’s leadership has less oversight and fewer checks on its actions, a problem we’ve repeatedly highlighted in areas from the lowering of standards for students, the mishandling of teacher misconduct investigations, and the ineffective implementation of early literacy reforms under Act 20.

What’s Next: A new national report shows how states can become genuine partners to increase student achievement with districts. If 39 states have decided an elected superintendent isn’t serving their kids, why does Wisconsin still think it works here?

Related:

4

National Scores Confirm the Learning Crisis. Are Voters Reacting?

Context: Wisconsin’s outcomes remain stagnant. Two-thirds of students aren’t meeting proficiency on the Nation’s Report Card, and fewer than 1 in 10 Milwaukee fourth graders read on grade level. Accountability still isn’t getting the attention the numbers demand.

Why This Matters: New national data and commentary are sharpening the case for accountability:

Newest scores: The latest Nation’s Report Card Long-Term Trend data shows students performing below pandemic levels and below the 2012 peak.
No Child Left Behind worked: Education analyst Chad Aldeman made the case for the No Child Left Behind era’s results, arguing the national retreat from accountability has driven the decline.
Accountability matters: Writer Charles Barone argues accountability isn’t about reducing schools to test scores: it’s about refusing to look away from low achievement.

What’s Next: Despite the data, Chalkbeat reports that political scientist Vladimir Kogan finds most voters aren’t reacting to falling scores. That gap between the evidence and the political pressure to act is exactly what CFC is working to close.

Related:

LOCAL

STATE

NATIONAL

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 7/10/2026

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 15:03:11 GMT

1

Crowley Exits Governor’s Race, Backing Rodriguez as Democrats Consolidate

Context: Before the July 4th holiday, Missy Hughes, former head of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, suspended her campaign and endorsed Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, urging the field to coalesce around “someone who can win in November.” A Democratic activist straw poll signaled the same appetite, putting Rodriguez at 28% and Francesca Hong second at 23%, with former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes sixth of seven.

Why This Matters: The consolidation accelerated this week, but a countercurrent is running through Democratic primaries nationally:

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley dropped out of the race and threw his support behind Rodriguez the same week she announced a $1m ad buy. Crowley had supported public charter schools, the federal school choice tax credit, and school choice.

Meanwhile, Democratic Socialists of America candidates won contested congressional primaries elsewhere. Alongside two DSA wins in New York City, DSA-endorsed Melat Kiros beat a nearly 30-year incumbent in a Colorado US House primary last week. Angry primary voters are showing that Democratic socialists like Hong can win, even in purple states.

What’s Next: Analysts point to Hong and Rodriguez as the two most viable candidates in a race turning negative, and Gov. Evers won the 2018 primary with just 42% of the vote.

A narrow plurality on August 11th will pick the person who sets Wisconsin education policy for a generation. See where every candidate stands on education in CFC Action Fund’s guide.

Related:

2

Fire Destroys Lincoln Avenue School, Exposing MPS Facilities Failures

Context: Last week, a massive overnight fire devastated the empty Lincoln Avenue School, forcing MPS and the Historic Preservation Commission to approve demolition on July 6th. The City is weighing how to take down the century-old building, which sits close to adjacent residential properties.

Neighbors and alumni recalled the school, which served more than 400 elementary students this year.

Why This Matters: The fire broke out after hours in summer, with no one inside. It also exposed the deferred maintenance problem CFC flagged earlier this year.

MPS spends between $60 million and $75 million per year on vacant and underutilized space, as CFC has pointed out.
MPS is over two years late on a facilities plan it promised before the 2024 referendum.
Despite calls for more funding, MPS remains the most well-funded local government in Wisconsin.

State Sen. Tim Carpenter said MPS could downsize and sell older buildings as enrollment declines, a sign that legislators are grasping the district’s long-term budget crunch.

What’s Next: MPS has a priorities problem. Months after they announced some minor steps towards consolidation, MPS still pours money into too many empty buildings.

Related:

3

State Aid Falls for 60% of Districts, Property Taxpayers Pick Up the Tab

Context: This spring, the State Senate killed a budget deal that would have cut property taxes and sent hundreds of millions to Wisconsin schools. Bipartisan supermajorities expressed anger at the failure, which candidates for governor in both parties helped engineer.

Why This Matters: DPI’s preliminary estimates show about 60% of Wisconsin public school districts will lose state aid next year, though MPS gains $7.2 million. The Wisconsin Policy Forum notes that losing aid does not mean districts lose money, since the primary impact lands on property taxpayers.

CFC has long argued that the state’s broken funding formula drives up property taxes while shortchanging the schools it claims to fund.

What’s Next: The squeeze will tighten as enrollment declines hit budgets and the Annie E. Casey Foundation documents a five-year drop in preschool enrollment.

CFC is calling for funding that follows the student, not the system.

Related:

4

St. Marcus Leader: Teacher Investment, Not Central Office, Drives Gains

Context: MPS Superintendent Cassellius has spent the past year shifting administrative positions toward classrooms, adding hundreds of teachers and paraprofessionals in the budget the board passed this spring.

Why This Matters: A leader from a different sector of Milwaukee schools credits teacher quality for two decades of results. St. Marcus Lutheran School Superintendent Henry Tyson explains that teacher-led work, rather than central office capacity, produced the gains.

St. Marcus paid teachers to build curriculum and interventions over the summer, then backed 11 teacher-led projects across the curriculum with support from the Northwestern Mutual Foundation.
The school built systems to share high-quality teacher-made resources across classrooms and campuses rather than keeping them in a single room.

What’s next: St. Marcus has grown from roughly 100 students to nearly 1,300 across three campuses, earned the state’s highest 5-star rating, and now posts eighth-grade math proficiency above the state average. MPS and the state have the same lever available to them.

Related:

LOCAL

STATE

NATIONAL

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 6/26/2026

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 13:51:29 GMT

EDITOR’S NOTE

CFC will not send a news brief out on the federal holiday, July 3rd. The MKE Edu News Brief will return on July 10th.

CANDIDATE UPDATE

For the most up-to-date positions on where gubernatorial candidates stand on education issues, visit our advocacy partner CFC Action Fund’s candidate guide here.

CFC would like to clarify last week’s MKE Edu News Brief to reflect the correct position of other candidates’ positions on the federal school choice tax credit: Joel Brennan and David Crowley both support opting in, and Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez is open to opting in.

1

DPI Stalls Milwaukee’s Reading Push as New Literacy Chief Takes Office

Context: Milwaukee ranks in the bottom 1% of districts nationally in reading. Local leaders including Mayor Johnson, Dr. Howard Fuller, foundation heads, and City Forward Collective formed the Milwaukee Reading Coalition last year to train elementary teachers in the Science of Reading. This month, the coalition put those plans on hold after DPI said the funds were unavailable.

Earlier this month, the Coalition announced that those plans are on hold after DPI said the funds were unavailable.

Why This Matters: The state has new literacy leadership:

Kaylee Jackson now leads Wisconsin’s Office of Literacy after serving as a principal at Carmen Schools and an English teacher at the Milwaukee Academy of Science.
WPR reported the coalition offered Jackson a job, but she couldn’t take it because the state funding never came through.

What’s Next: Jackson inherits a state that, as columnist Alan Borsuk puts it, is “slow-walking its way through reading improvement” while other states post real gains. Whether her office can move faster than the bureaucracy that just stalled Milwaukee is the open question.

Related:

2

Hughes Exits Governor’s Race, Endorses Rodriguez as Democrats Hunt for a Winner

Context: The 2026 election cycle might define Wisconsin education for a generation. Last week, a Democratic straw poll of activists signaled they want a winner, putting Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez at 28% and Hong second at 23%, with former Lt. Gov. Barnes sixth of seven. Several leading candidates have promised to end school choice statewide, including Barnes, Hong, and union-endorsed Kelda Roys.

Why This Matters: Two developments this week reshaped the race and the education stakes inside it.

Missy Hughes, former head of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, suspended her campaign and endorsed Rodriguez, urging the field to coalesce around “someone who can win in November.”
- Hughes had pledged to opt Wisconsin into the federal school choice tax credit and backed the funding deal that paired special education dollars with tax relief.
Democrats also debated how to spend the $2.5 billion surplus that could have funded that deal, with several candidates calling to rework the school and property tax funding formula.

What’s Next: Six Democrats remain alongside Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez (pictured above): Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, State Senator Kelda Roys, State Representative Francesca Hong, Former Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, and former Greater Milwaukee Committee President Joel Brennan. For where each stands on education, see CFC Action Fund’s candidate guide.

Related:

3

Two Tax Credits Emerge as Wisconsin Hunts for School Funding Fixes

Context: The State Senate killed a budget deal last month that would have cut property taxes and sent hundreds of millions to Wisconsin schools. Democratic gubernatorial candidates Francesca Hong and union-endorsed Kelda Roys joined Republican Tom Tiffany in killing the bill.

Why This Matters: Solving the funding shortfall offers no easy answers, but two sources are emerging as serious long-term options.

School levy tax credit: The credit functions as a property tax giveaway that largely benefits wealthy out-of-state residents.
- It has tripled since 2000 to over $1.2 billion, yet only 51% actually lowers property taxes for Wisconsin homeowners on their primary residences, while at least 33% flows to out-of-state property owners.
Federal school choice tax credit: The Trump administration confirmed the new credit can benefit all students, pressuring Gov. Evers, US Rep. Moore, and other Democrats who want Wisconsin to opt out of potentially hundreds of millions in funding. A Massachusetts analysis found over $2 billion would leave that state under an opt-out, with similar numbers projected for Wisconsin.

What’s Next: Wisconsin’s next move on funding will most likely come from the next governor, and CFC is pressing candidates to embrace a student-first agenda that puts students ahead of wealthy out-of-state residents and partisan politics.

Related:

4

Feds Move Special Ed and Civil Rights Oversight, Raising Stakes for Wisconsin

Context: President Trump ran in 2024 on abolishing the federal Department of Education. Earlier this month, the administration moved special education and civil rights oversight out of the department. National experts like Andrew Rotherham called the moves a “waste of energy that could be focused on the achievement debacle we’re experiencing.”

Why This Matters: This week, the impact came into sharper focus across three fronts.

Disability groups voiced fear about special education moving to Health and Human Services under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose history of claims about children with disabilities, especially autism, has sparked sharp backlash.
As the Department of Justice prepares to take over school civil rights enforcement, experts question its capacity to handle the volume of complaints and protect student privacy.
In Wisconsin, disability advocacy groups warned that splitting special education oversight will make it harder for parents and students with disabilities to get the help they need.

What’s Next: Several key functions remain with the Department of Education, and funding will continue to flow. But these changes could fall hardest on some of the most vulnerable students: those with disabilities and those who depend on civil rights protection.

Related:

5

School Choice Opposition Reflects Class Divide, Not Democratic Values

Context: Higher-income and more highly educated Democrats are far more likely to oppose school choice, while Black, Hispanic and lower-income Democrats are more supportive. The divide reflects a gap between those who already enjoy access to educational options and those for whom school assignment remains largely determined by zip code.

Why This Matters: Opposing school choice while overlooking who bears the consequences is described as a “luxury belief”—positions that are easiest to maintain when one is insulated from their consequences. Affluent parents have long exercised school choice by paying a premium to buy homes in desirable school districts or by sending their children to private schools.

Charter schools disproportionately serve Black, Hispanic and lower-income students, especially in urban areas, and in many cities, the number of kids on charter school waitlists reaches into the thousands, reflecting intense demand among families seeking alternatives.

This dynamic appears directly in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race, where some Democratic candidates promise to eliminate school choice while others recognize it as a vehicle for educational equity.

What’s Next: Wisconsin voters—particularly those of color and lower-income families—are watching which candidates understand that choice is not a luxury belief but a necessity for families without the means to buy their way into excellence.

Related:

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 06/19/2026

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 14:03:05 GMT

Editor’s Note

Happy Juneteenth! A celebration of freedom and truth. Information is power, and we’re committed to equipping Milwaukee’s community with the data needed to ensure every child has access to an excellent education.

We’re celebrating today, but didn’t want to skip sending you this week’s education updates.

Find our CFC booth at Milwaukee’s Juneteenth celebration (across from BMO Harris Bank). Click here for the location.

CFC IN THE NEWS

Milwaukee parents: Register for our Parent Action Network Training tomorrow, June 20th. Sign up here.

CFC rejects “just the way things are.” On WUWM this week, CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan highlighted all the small decisions that hurt education in the state.
Where they stand: CFC Action Fund released its candidate guide, breaking down every declared 2026 Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate’s record on K-12 education. CFC Action Fund will update the tracker throughout the cycle.

1

North Side Educational Crisis Driving Discourse about Achievement Gap

Context: Milwaukee’s North Side is home to an educational catastrophe that has been growing for generations: fewer than 1 in 5 of the 55,000 students there attend a quality school, and 22 of Wisconsin’s 50 lowest-performing schools are on the North Side, as CFC outlined in its report earlier this year.

Why This Matters: This week, prompted by the CFC North Side report, a Journal-Sentinel series examined the stakes of the educational crisis at Hi-Mount, a one-star North Side school. Columnist Alan Borsuk asked a series of experts, including MPS Superintendent Cassellius, what it would take to turn around Hi-Mount, and pointed to attendance, higher expectations, stronger instruction, and enrollment as key drivers.

What’s Next: CFC is pressing candidates and elected officials to put the racial achievement gap at the center of this election year through its Student-First Agenda.

Related:

2

Rodriguez Edges Hong in Convention Straw Poll, as CFC Releases Candidate Guide

Context: This 2026 election cycle will define Wisconsin education for a generation, and the Democratic primary for governor is on August 11th. Over the last few weeks, several leading candidates (Mandela Barnes, Francesca Hong, and union-endorsed Kelda Roys) have promised to end school choice statewide.

Why This Matters: This week, Democratic activists signaled they want a winner: A straw poll of hundreds of Democrats at the state party convention put Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez at 28% and Hong second at 23%, with former Lt. Gov. Barnes sixth of seven. Party activists showed a desire for a candidate who can appeal to the ‘typical voter across Wisconsin.’ Three gubernatorial candidates — Missy Hughes, Joel Brennan, and Tom Tiffany — have now pledged to opt Wisconsin into the federal school choice tax credit (see Item 4), a move that would keep hundreds of millions of dollars in the state to support our schools. Two others, David Crowley and Sara Rodriguez, have said they are open to and supportive of the credit. Full results are here.

What’s Next: The candidates have agreed to at least one debate before the primary.

Related:

3

WI Enrollment Falling as School Staff Grows

Context: CFC has been sounding the alarm about declining enrollment in Milwaukee and across Wisconsin for months. Fewer students strain the state budget and drive up property taxes.

Why This Matters: Earlier this month, a new Wisconsin Policy Forum report laid out the math:

Fewer students: Student enrollment has fallen 9% since 2010, a loss of almost 80,000 students, driven by two decades of declining birth rates.
More staff: Total full-time-equivalent positions in the public school workforce rose 7% over the same period.
Teacher numbers flat: Nearly all of that growth came from non-classroom roles. Teaching positions grew just 1%.

What’s Next: More staff for fewer students cannot hold. Wisconsin and Milwaukee need to rebuild the funding formula and accountability structure around the number of families they actually serve.

Related:

4

US Rep Moore, Other Dems Leave Federal Money on the Table

Context: Last week, the Trump administration confirmed that the new federal school choice tax credit can also benefit public school students, funding after-school tutoring and supplemental services. The pressure now falls on Gov. Evers and other Democrats weighing whether to leave the dollars unclaimed.

Why This Matters: Several Democrats moved in the opposite direction this week, against the will of voters here in Milwaukee and across the country:

Wisconsin reps pushed to repeal. US Reps. Gwen Moore and Mark Pocan called for scrapping the credit at a press conference. Rep. Moore’s position, in particular, is opposed by Milwaukee voters in multiple separate CFC polls this year.
Oregon passed. The governor became the latest Democratic leader to reject the program.

What’s Next: Districts, states, and advocates nationwide are planning how to access the new federal dollars, while Wisconsin waits on the sidelines. The next governor will decide whether the state claims the money.

Related:

5

Wisconsin Supreme Court Strikes Down Minority College Grants

Context: Under the second Trump administration, programs supporting racial minorities or promoting diversity have come under attack from the federal government and conservative groups, affecting Wisconsin students.

Why This Matters: On Thursday, the state Supreme Court ruled a Wisconsin college grant program restricted to certain students of color unconstitutional and ordered the state to stop administering the program. Although the state court has a 4-3 liberal majority, the justices wrote that they were bound by the 2023 US Supreme Court ruling banning affirmative action.

The state established the program in the 1980s to help students of color facing barriers to college, and awarded nearly $800,000 to nearly 800 students in the most recent year.

What’s Next: The decision ends the program.

Related:

6

Trump Moves Special Ed, Civil Rights Out of Education Dept

Context: President Trump called for abolishing the federal Department of Education during his 2024 campaign. Secretary McMahon has called ending it “Our Final Mission” and has begun using interagency agreements to break it up.

Why This Matters: This week, the administration moved special education and civil rights oversight out of the department. National experts like Andrew Rotherham called the moves a “waste of energy that could be focused on the achievement debacle we’re experiencing.” Disability advocates went further.

What’s Next: Parents fear fallout, especially, from the special education oversight changes. Advocacy groups warn about a further fracturing of funding and accountability for students with disabilities.

Related:

LOCAL

STATE

NATIONAL

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 06/12/2026

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:19:58 GMT

CFC IN THE NEWS

“We’ve got an electorate with real concerns about how our students are doing.” Listen to our Executive Director Colleston Morgan on WTMJ 620’s Sunday Sip

“CFC’s report called the north side “ground zero for the state’s worst-in-the-nation Black-White proficiency gaps,” Alan Borsuk in the Journal-Sentinel on the North Side educational crisis

“There’s no urgency coming from DPI,” said Executive Director Colleston Morgan on WTMJ 620 this week about the Reading Coalition

1

State Blocks Citywide Literacy Effort, Faces Lawsuit on Lowered Standards

Context: Milwaukee ranks in the bottom 1% of districts nationally in reading. At the start of this school year, a cross-sector group formed the Milwaukee Reading Coalition to train elementary teachers in the Science of Reading, with plans to access state literacy dollars through Act 20.

Last week, the Coalition announced those plans are on hold after DPI said the funds were unavailable.

Why This Matters: Details of the rejection came into focus this week:

The Coalition drafted a bill last session to ensure Act 20 funds could flow to the Coalition, and DPI told the group it wasn’t necessary
Dr. Howard Fuller, Coalition co-chair, said DPI “gaslighted” the Coalition
Coalition leaders and members, including Mayor Johnson and CFC, called on State Superintendent Jill Underly to release the funding.

DPI’s credibility is under even more pressure: a new lawsuit alleges it violated open meetings law when it lowered academic standards at a private resort junket in 2024, a decision two out of three voters oppose in CFC polling.

DPI is also stonewalling requests to name the working group behind its “Portrait of a Graduate” initiative, which CFC has flagged as a distraction from academic achievement.

What’s Next: City Year Executive Director Dr. Stephanie Maney-Hartlaub put it plainly on 101.7 The Truth this week: “Milwaukee wants to be great, and DPI is getting in the way by not deploying those dollars. There’s a seat at the table for DPI to join us.” CFC, a Coalition member, continues to call on DPI to release the funds.

Related:

2

Dem Candidate Abandons 1 in 4 MKE Students

Context: Qualifying has closed for the August Democratic primary for governor. As several candidates promised to end school choice across the state, candidate Missy Hughes committed to opting Wisconsin into the federal school choice tax credit (see Item 3). CFC polling shows Wisconsin voters support the credit and school choice.

Why This Matters: Former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes released his “Wisconsin Way” agenda this week, promising to “responsibly sunset the voucher program.“ His plan says nothing about the 1 in 4 Milwaukee students who would be forced back into MPS, which remains one of the nation’s most academically and financially distressed districts despite positive financial moves under Superintendent Cassellius.

Union-endorsed candidate Kelda Roys has made a similar call.

What’s Next: CFC will release a full candidate tracker on Milwaukee education issues before the August 11th primary.

Related:

3

School Choice Credit Can Help Public Schools: So Will Evers Opt In?

Context: 31 states have opted into the federal school choice tax credit, including New York, whose governor became only the second Democrat to join the program earlier this month.

Why This Matters: The Trump administration this week confirmed that the program benefits public schools too: The Treasury Department told education advocates that public-school parents can use funds on after-school tutoring and supplemental services, and that public schools can provide some of those programs:

The news speaks directly to Gov. Evers’ veto message and should force a reassessment.
Other governors and school choice skeptics are now arguing states should opt in to capture every available federal education dollar.
Democratic candidate Missy Hughes has said she would opt in as governor, joining Republican candidate Tom Tiffany.

What’s Next: Final regulations are expected in September. CFC polling and national surveys show strong majorities supporting governors’ access to the credit.

Related:

4

NAEP: Younger Kids Bounce Back, Teens Still Behind

Context: The last national test scores showed declines in reading and math across Wisconsin, with a decade-long “reading recession” and a major educational crisis for Black students centered on Milwaukee’s North Side.

Why This Matters: New 2025 national results are mixed; state-specific data is not yet available:

Age gap: 9-year-olds are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels in reading and math. 13-year-olds are still struggling, with reading performance essentially flat compared to 50 years ago.

Source: Chalkbeat

Lowest performers improving: Among 9-year-olds, the lowest-performing students showed the biggest gains in both subjects.
Reading collapse: Fewer students are reading for pleasure than at any point in 40 years, deepening the literacy crisis (see Item 1).

Source: NPR

What’s Next: When state-level results drop, CFC will push Milwaukee and state leaders to answer for outcomes.

Related:

5

Fiscal Problems Persist Across WI and MKE

Context: A new national report warns that school finance challenges are just beginning: enrollment declines are steepest in the youngest grades, immigration policy is shrinking the pipeline of new students, and costs keep rising.

Why This Matters: Those pressures are hitting Wisconsin hard:

MPS’s newly approved budget still projects a structural deficit of $63 million by 2029, driven in part by revenue losses resulting from MPS's forced closure of nine public charter schools.
Rural districts are closing schools: Portage Community is shuttering two elementary buildings, and the Hustisford board has dissolved entirely.
Referendum passage rates are falling. UW-Madison’s Bradley Carl explained why voters are souring on local tax increases, consistent with CFC polling.

What’s Next: MPS’s deficit will grow into the hundreds of millions without structural change, and the state remains deadlocked on property taxes and school funding. CFC is calling for funding that follows the student, not the system.

Related:

LOCAL

STATE

NATIONAL

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 6/5/2026

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:12:23 GMT

CFC IN THE NEWS

As another school year comes to an end, CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan writes, “My hope lies in our city’s students: their boundless brilliance and their potential to exceed every expectation we have for them, if we only do the work to ensure they receive the education they deserve.”

1

DPI Blocks Milwaukee’s Literacy Push

Context: Milwaukee ranks below 99% of districts nationally in reading. Last year, the city’s schools, philanthropies, and civic leaders united behind the Milwaukee Reading Coalition, a citywide effort to train every K3-5 teacher in the Science of Reading, with real accountability for outcomes. CFC is a member. Leaders worked with DPI to try to access Act 20 dollars targeted for the Science of Reading.

Why This Matters: This week, the Coalition announced its plans are on hold after DPI said it cannot access state literacy funding.

In a new op-ed, Mayor Johnson, Dr. Howard Fuller, and the presidents of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and Herb Kohl Philanthropies called out DPI’s reversal: after a year of guidance indicating support, Superintendent Underly’s office declared it lacks authority to fund the Coalition at all. Philanthropic partners have already invested on the assumption that public dollars would follow:

“It’s atrocious, given the magnitude of the literacy problem we have in the City of Milwaukee,” Dr. Fuller said. “There’s no urgency.”

Mayor Cavalier Johnson

CFC sent its own letter to Superintendent Underly: “The Milwaukee Reading Coalition spent a year doing everything right — building an unprecedentedly broad, citywide coalition, securing funding, standing up infrastructure — only to be met with shifting guidance and bureaucratic delay.”

What’s Next: CFC and the Coalition are pressing DPI to re-engage and deploy existing literacy dollars now. Milwaukee’s kids have waited long enough.

Related:

2

Hughes Backs Tax Credit; Three Candidates Would End Choice

Context: This week’s ballot deadline set the field for Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary. CFC has called on all candidates to champion its Student-First Agenda.

Why This Matters: This week, Democratic candidates drew sharp contrasts on school choice:

Hughes commits to federal tax credit: Missy Hughes, former CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, said she would opt Wisconsin into the federal school choice tax credit. CFC polling shows Wisconsin voters are 21 points more likely to support a candidate who opts in. New NYC polling shows parents there favor the credit 3-to-1.

Three candidates would end school choice: At the Wisconsin Workers Forum for Governor, Mandela Barnes, Francesca Hong, and union-backed Kelda Roys said they would end the state’s choice program. CFC polling shows that 57% of Wisconsin voters support choice, including majorities of undecided Democrats and independents. None of the three has explained what happens to the 30,000-plus Milwaukee students currently in choice schools.

What’s Next: Primary day is August 11th. CFC will keep pressing every candidate to engage with the reality of school choice in Milwaukee.

Related:

3

Near-Record Number of Legislators Leaving Office, Creating Window for School Choice Change

Context: 2026 is a midterm election year, and the qualification deadline passed at the end of May.

Why This Matters: A higher-than-normal amount-one in five Republican legislators- filed statements saying they will not seek reelection, reflecting polling that shows low approval for President Trump. A slew of legislative Democrats are running for higher office, opening up several Democratic legislative seats.

Earlier this spring, CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan wrote of this election, “Rarely have so many levers of education policy been on the ballot at the same time. And rarely has the question of who leads on education mattered more.”

CFC has introduced its student-first agenda to address the state’s declining enrollment and budget pressures.

What’s Next: CFC is calling on all candidates across Wisconsin to put students first this year.

Related:

4

New MPS Budget Leaves Problems Unaddressed

Context: The MPS Board approved Superintendent Cassellius’s $1.6 billion budget, shifting administrative positions toward classrooms and adding hundreds of teachers and paraprofessionals. It also raised property taxes by roughly $46 on the median Milwaukee home.

Why This Matters: The budget closed this year’s gap and moved resources into the classrooms, but left structural problems intact:

Public charters departing: The nine schools departing MPS because of its “hostile partnership” will reduce district revenues long-term.
No rightsizing plan: Cassellius confirmed MPS has no timeline for school closures or mergers, despite a promise made before voters approved a tax hike referendum in 2024.
Deficit returns by 2028: Wisconsin Policy Forum projects a structural deficit by 2028 and a $63 million gap by 2029.

What’s Next: MPS is not alone. Districts across the country face the same combination of declining enrollment, rising costs, and inflation. The question is whether Milwaukee acts before the next fiscal cliff, or after.

Related:

5

Senate Dems Refuse a Re-Vote on Surplus Deal

Context: In May, Democratic candidates Hong and union-endorsed Roys joined Republican Tom Tiffany in killing a bill that would have cut property taxes and sent hundreds of millions to Wisconsin schools. Four in five Wisconsin voters, across party lines, supported the failed deal.

Why This Matters: Speaker Vos, Gov. Evers, and Senate GOP campaign leader Testin all said this week they’re ready to vote again. Two more Senate votes would revive the bill.

But Senate Minority Leader Hesselbein said she has no plans to bring it back, drawing a sharp rebuke from Evers: “She controls what people get to do...that’s what happens in the legislature.” Gubernatorial candidate Missy Hughes also criticized Senate Democrats for blocking the deal.

What’s Next: Evers says he’ll call a special session if lawmakers reconsider. Until then, property taxes and costs keep rising, and schools keep cutting.

Related:

LOCAL

STATE

NATIONAL

As We Celebrate, Let’s Remember: Our Kids Have One Shot

Colleston Morgan — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:02:00 GMT

As We Celebrate, Let’s Remember: Our Kids Have One Shot

I’ve said from the beginning of my time in this role, that my first, last, and most important job is and will always be Dad. And this week, I’m celebrating a proud Dad moment – my youngest daughter is completing her elementary school journey.

Now, if your first reaction is to look at my picture and say there’s no way he’s old enough to have a daughter finishing elementary school – well, I feel that way too!

But, this moment of transition is a reminder to me of the singular joy of parenthood – the hopes and dreams (and fears) we all carry for our children, the remarkable gift and awesome charge that is being the steward of the life of another, for a brief moment in time.

It’s also a reminder that as parents, we have one shot.

All those hopes and dreams and fears of mine are ultimately only a small part of the larger equation of who my girls are now, and who they will become in time – the potential that lives inside our kids far exceeds our imagination. I didn’t have taekwondo on my elementary school checklist for my daughter, but she set her mind to the task – and if you know my youngest, her fierce determination once her mind is set on something is a thing to behold.

Last month, she did just that, earning her black belt. And behind the fierce pride and joy, there’s a new confidence that she found in setting a goal, working hard, and achieving it. It’s the same confidence that shone through when she first learned to ride a bike, or conquered reading her first big kid book alone. And, it's the confidence and character I hope she carries forward, not just to middle school, but through life.

Our children have one shot.

End-of-year celebrations are a moment for reflection on the boundless brilliance that exists in every one of our city’s children. It’s a profound reminder of the opportunity & obligation we each have to do our part to ensure every child has access to the high-quality education they deserve.

The pride, the joy, the confidence that comes with setting your mind to a task and accomplishing it — it’s a moment that will play out in classrooms and across stages throughout our city this month, as students mark the completion of another grade, another year of learning, another milestone in their academic journeys, another step towards adulthood.

Our city’s children have one shot.

One of the joys of this role is that our team and I get to share not just in our own children’s milestones, but in celebrating these moments with schools across the city.

Hearing the whoops and shouts in the crowds as a graduate crosses the stage, or watching the beams of pride at a signing day, as a young person declares what college or trade they’re intending to pursue. Seeing teachers and school leaders beam with pride as they share stories of the students who found their way in their classrooms, and are now heading into next steps of their lives that perhaps they never dreamed possible.

As parents, as educators, and as members of this community deeply invested in its future — our young people — these are among the most rewarding moments we get to enjoy.

Milwaukee’s schools have one shot.

I’m often asked what gives me hope in this work. It’s not always an easy question to answer — not because I lack hope, but because I believe true hope has to be grounded in seeing things as they are, and a commitment to the hard work of moving toward something better. It’s why we at CFC are committed to being unflinching and unapologetic about the facts, the data, and the realities facing our city’s students.

I’m clear-eyed about the challenges that remain — and as we often cover in this space, there’s much left to be done. Our work is to ensure that each of these milestones has true meaning for each and every child, and that as our city’s graduates cross their respective stages, they are each prepared to build a thriving life, to enter a productive career, and to help strengthen our city and society.

But, moments like these — the end of one season, the end of one school year — are moments that carry clarity of purpose for me, and reminders of what gives me hope.

My hope lies in our city’s students: their boundless brilliance and their potential to exceed every expectation we have for them, if we only do the work to ensure they receive the education they deserve.

My hopes rest with our city’s families: fellow travelers in the remarkable journey of parenthood, whose love for their children and fierce determination to give them the best, remind me every day why this work matters.

And, my hopes rest in our city’s schools – all of our city’s schools: the many talented and dedicated educators and leaders I get to interact with, the genuine passion they have for education, the lengths they go above and beyond for their students, and the heart they have for our city’s future, its children.

In the coming days and weeks, parents and families across Milwaukee will share moments like the one I’ll be enjoying tomorrow – watching their children accomplish goals, mark milestones, and launch into the next stage of life. For us, it’s figuring out the mysteries of middle school — lockers and schedules and class transitions. For others, it’ll be leaving home for college, or launching into a new career.

As we celebrate, let’s also recommit ourselves to the hard, urgent, and important work ahead. Our city’s students have one shot – and they deserve nothing less than an excellent education, at a high-quality school, that taps their potential and unlocks their brilliance.

We have one shot – and for all of our children’s sake, we can’t miss.

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 05/29/2026

Fri, 29 May 2026 14:57:48 GMT

CFC IN THE NEWS

“Our kids get one shot at this,” said CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan as he joined Steve Scaffidi on 620 WTMJ’s Forward Thinking this week.

Colleston and Steve discussed the collapse of the bipartisan property tax and education funding proposal, and the new polling showing many Wisconsinites supported it.

1

MPS Board Passes $1.6B Budget

Context: Facing a $400M+ structural deficit and declining enrollment, Superintendent Cassellius has focused on prioritizing classroom positions and cutting Central Office staff.

Why This Matters: The Board passed the budget Thursday night over union and staff objections:

Putting resources into classrooms: The budget shifted administrative positions towards classrooms, adding hundreds of teachers and paraprofessionals.
Rising property taxes: MPS’s latest budget projects school property taxes will increase by 2.3%, or $9.86 per $1,000 of fair market value. The failed state surplus deal (see Item 2) would likely have resulted in a decrease in Milwaukee’s local property taxes, rather than an increase.
Declining revenue of its own making: The budget is $23 million lower than the current budget, largely due to declining enrollment. The largest share of the decrease comes from seven public charter schools leaving MPS for a new authorizer next year in response to MPS hostility.

Board member Reza was the only member voting against the proposal, siding with the teachers union.

What’s Next: MPS has yet to address the loss of nearly 30% of its students over the past 20 years, and Cassellius acknowledged that she anticipates further cuts next year. State Rep. Scott Allen’s call in the Journal-Sentinel for direct state intervention aligns with CFC’s student-first agenda and new polling.

Related:

2

Senate Killed the Deal 4 in 5 Voters Wanted

Context: The State Senate killed a budget deal this month that would have cut property taxes and sent hundreds of millions to Wisconsin schools. Democratic gubernatorial candidates Francesca Hong and union-endorsed Kelda Roys joined Republican Tom Tiffany in killing the bill.

Why This Matters: Education leaders across the state have criticized the deal, and this week voters showed their anger:

Bipartisan Supermajorities: 77% of Republicans, 81% of Independents, and 82% of Democrats said the legislature should have passed the bill
Impact on vote: Nearly three in four voters say the failed vote will be very or somewhat important to their vote this fall.
Geographic spread: Support for the bill was over 77% in every region of the state.

What’s Next: CFC’s own polling, taken before the deal failed, showed 54% support for more K-12 funding, and even higher support (61%) for property tax relief. As Gov. Evers said on UPFRONT, rejecting the deal hurts kids and is bad politics.

Related:

3

National Critics: DPI’s New Initiative Distracts from Academics

Context: DPI is holding listening sessions this spring to ask Wisconsin residents what skills graduates need after high school, as part of a new initiative called “Portrait of a Graduate.”

Why This Matters: National education leaders have issued warnings against these programs over the last few weeks:

They distract from academics: “Daniel Buck argues in Education Next that the programs give schools cover to deprioritize academics and excuse failures in basic literacy and numeracy.
What’s the role of government?: Michael Petrilli writes for Fordham that states and school districts, as governmental entities serving everyone, should stay out of these character-based exercises.
Content knowledge suffers: Andrew Rotherham writes that the programs reflect a mistaken belief that content matters less than other skills, ignoring the science of how students build knowledge.

What’s Next: With 92% of Wisconsin voters concerned about academic outcomes, DPI’s time is better spent on standards and accountability than new listening sessions.

Related:

4

Lawsuit and New Report Show that WI School Funding Still Broken

Context: The fiscal battles in Madison over the last two years have confirmed what CFC has been saying for years: Wisconsin’s school funding formula is broken, as enrollment declines, property taxes increase, and schools feel cost pressures. Earlier this year, a group of school districts, teachers, and parents sued the legislature over the current school funding formula.

Why This Matters: Two developments this week reiterated the depths of the problem:

More staff, fewer students: IRG’s analysis of state data shows Wisconsin public schools now employ 1 adult for every 7 students, an all-time record. The state has 113,171 school employees and just 791,794 students, the fewest since 1991. Public schools continue to add staff while losing students.
Opening arguments: In opening arguments for the school funding lawsuit, attorneys representing parents and private schools argued that they should be allowed to intervene in the lawsuit challenging the state’s school funding system.

What’s Next: CFC has called for student-based budgeting, where funding follows the child. The last several legislative sessions have ended without fixing the system. The staffing data and lawsuit show the cost of waiting.

Related:

LOCAL

Our youth are in crisis. Adults trying to help are overwhelmed. | Opinion

STATE

NATIONAL

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 05/22/2026

Fri, 22 May 2026 14:52:02 GMT

CFC Corner

“Amidst all the day-after posturing and finger-pointing Wisconsin’s publicly funded students and schools, and the taxpaying public, are the big losers here,” writes CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan about last week’s budget failure.

1

Education Leaders Unite Against Senate’s Budget Failure

Context: Last week, the State Senate killed a budget deal that would have boosted school funding while lowering property taxes. Prominent Democrats led the charge, including gubernatorial candidates Francesca Hong and Kelda Roys (who is endorsed by the state’s teachers union). Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany also opposed the bill.

Why This Matters: The political blowback has been swift and broad.

Superintendents of Wisconsin’s five largest school districts, including MPS Superintendent Cassellius. urged lawmakers to return to the table,
Rural low-revenue districts highlighted rising inflation and property taxes.
School leaders across Milwaukee’s public charter and private schools spoke out in favor of the $16m in additional per-pupil dollars.
Gov. Evers called out his own party, saying, “That’s bad politics for Democrats…It hurts, it hurts kids.”
Business leaders called the failure “a major, missed opportunity.”

What’s Next: CFC’s polling shows that 61% of voters think property taxes are too high.

There has been no indication that legislators plan to return to the table.

Related:

2

MPS Budget Update: “It Will Take More than Money to Fix Education in MPS”

Context: Superintendent Cassellius’s budget proposal cuts 100 Central Office staff and adds roughly 150 teaching and 140 paraprofessional positions.

Why This Matters: As MPS held committee meetings and public hearings on the budget, Journal-Sentinel columnist Alan Borsuk echoed CFC’s call for significant change, writing that declining enrollment, excess building capacity, growing financial problems, and low achievement all demand bold leadership from the administration and school board.

In an extended interview on Black Nouveau, Cassellius herself acknowledged the depth of the challenges: declining enrollment, a bloated central office, and massive financial strain.

What’s Next: The board is expected to vote on the budget next week. CFC’s new polling shows that the public is ready for sweeping change. The question is whether this budget is the beginning of that change or another incremental step.

Related:

3

Democratic Governors Risk Leaving Billions on the Table Over Politics

Context: Every governor can now decide whether their state opts in to the new federal school choice tax credit. New York’s Governor Hochul became only the second Democratic governor to join the program earlier this month, making New York the 31st state to opt in.

Why This Matters: The set of national voices urging Democrats to accept the funds keeps growing, echoing CFC’s call for Wisconsin Democrats to lead on education. This week, the Washington Post editorial board questioned why so many states are leaving federal education dollars on the table, especially as budget crises deepen (see Items 1 and 2).

The editorial comes weeks after former US Secretary of Education under President Obama, Arne Duncan, called his party “adrift” on education and urged Democrats to embrace the tax credit.

CFC’s polling showed that Wisconsin voters are 21 points more likely to support a candidate who would opt in, aligning with national polling showing support among Democratic voters.

What’s Next: Wisconsin’s gubernatorial candidates will have to answer for this in 2026. The voters, the data, and a growing list of Democratic leaders all point in the same direction.

Related:

4

What is Causing the Country’s Learning Recession?

Context: Last week, the Educational Opportunity Project released test scores showing that math and reading scores are far below levels from over a decade ago. Wisconsin ranked 33rd out of 38 states in math growth and 30th out of 35 states in reading. MPS was at the bottom nationally, as 99% of districts grew more.

Why This Matters: National researchers dug deeper into the causes:

Accountability disappeared: The phasing out of test-based accountability obscured pre-pandemic losses. The finding echoes CFC’s calls for a stronger state accountability system and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s recent op-ed.
Federal relief money could have gone further: The research team doesn’t call it wasted, but argues that districts should have been required to spend more on academic recovery.

Absenteeism remains elevated: Absence rates are still above pre-pandemic levels nationally. Here in Wisconsin, chronic absenteeism dropped from its 2022 high, but has not returned to pre-pandemic rates.

What’s Next: The Nation’s Report Card is expanding to provide more data on student performance. Better data matters, but Wisconsin already has the data it needs to act. DPI and Milwaukee’s leaders have not.

Related:

LOCAL

STATE

NATIONAL

The Failed Surplus Deal, New Polling, and the Lane Nobody's Running In

Colleston Morgan — Tue, 19 May 2026 13:12:51 GMT

Last week’s failed budget deal was a real missed opportunity to continue bipartisan progress for Milwaukee’s kids. The K12 provisions in that deal were sorely needed, and Wisconsin’s students are worse off because of the Senate’s failure to get it across the finish line.

Yes, compromise is imperfect, but it’s also a path that has led to real investments in all our students and schools over the last four years: restoring two-thirds of state funding for districts, while reducing per-pupil funding gaps for students in schools of choice. This deal would’ve continued that commendable legacy of cross-partisan progress: most notably, by getting Wisconsin to a 50% special education reimbursement rate. This is a priority that we at CFC, as well as legislators and advocates from across the ideological spectrum, have long called for.

MPS Superintendent Casselius is right: “This would have been real money to kids this year….”

We’re disappointed in the state Senate’s failure to approve this funding, and in what this failure means for all our students and schools. In this, we’re not alone: you’ll find our position being shared nearly across the board amongst educators and those closest to classrooms, from the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, to superintendents from the big 5 urban and rural low-revenue districts alike, to any number of Milwaukee’s public charter and private school leaders. Supporting our state’s schools – and our most vulnerable learners – is something we should all be able to find common ground around.

Governor Evers is right: “I’m shocked that they would say we don’t want to do [this deal] for schools. That’s bad politics for Democrats….We’re messing with kids lives here…It hurts, it hurts kids.”

Amidst all the day-after posturing and finger-pointing, two things stand out: Wisconsin’s publicly funded students and schools, and the taxpaying public, are the big losers here. And voters are fed up with dysfunctional politics that ignore their concerns and priorities. As Gov Evers aptly put it: “So many Wisconsinites feel left behind, frustrated, and disillusioned by politics these days because they think a lot of politicians…are only here to serve themselves.”

And if this past week’s misfire is a harbinger for how Democrats intend to govern, it’s one we should all take heed of. Because right now, the only Democratic plan being offered to address our state’s K12 school funding crisis is a half-baked, ideology-laden proposal being pushed by the far-left ranks, one that would defund half of Milwaukee’s students while making a $200M funding inequity even larger.

Democrats risk misreading the electorate and badly missing the moment, on one of the biggest concerns for voters going into the 2026 elections: Wisconsin’s educational stagnation, and Milwaukee’s ongoing, worst-in-the-nation academic crisis.

Earlier this month, CFC released new statewide polling of more than 1,600 likely voters on K12 education. In the wake of last week’s failed surplus deal, three findings stand out.

Voters are concerned about K12 education – and rightfully so
Voters want accountability for student outcomes – not political posturing and pandering to special interests
Voters support school choice — and this includes majorities of independents and undecided Democrats

Voters are concerned about K12 education – and for good reason

Voters’ concerns about K12 education are real and widespread. Our polling found deep and widespread expressions of voters’ K12 concerns:

93% concerned about students’ readiness for the workforce,
92% concerned about academic outcomes
91% concerned about financial management (notably, this is 11 points higher than concerns about public school funding)

Wisconsin’s results on the Education Scorecard,a robust national comparison of student outcomes jointly produced by leading K12 education researchers from Harvard and Stanford, make the picture clear.

Wisconsin ranks 33rd (of 38 rated states) in math recovery, and 30th (of 35) in reading, with downward trends in both subject areas since 2019.
Milwaukee fared even worse: a 1st percentile score – meaning 99% of districts performed better in both reading and math proficiency.
Since 2015, Milwaukee reading scores have dropped a grade level and a half, and math scores by more than a grade level.
Milwaukee’s Black student proficiency in reading actually hit the 0th percentile – ranked in the bottom 20 of all districts across the country.

In this case, one picture (from the NY Times, of reading scores for districts across Wisconsin) is worth more than 10,000 words:

Voters want accountability for student outcomes – for every publicly funded school

Against this dismal and unacceptable backdrop, it’s small wonder we found that a desire for more accountability is the single strongest theme to emerge in our polling.

80% of respondents overall, including net +50(!) majorities across every demographic we tested, said they were more likely to support a candidate who would hold all publicly funded schools accountable for student outcomes. Respondents were significantly more likely to support pro-accountability (80% more likely, net +76) and pro-school choice (57% more likely, net +35) candidates than ones who align themselves with teachers unions on education policy (44%, net +8).

All of this echoes a theme I focused on earlier this month, in laying out accountability as one of the priorities in CFC’s student-first agenda for 2026: Students, families, and the public are demanding honest, transparent information, and real action when the results don’t measure up, for any publicly funded school.

Voters support school choice

As we highlighted in our recent series, Wisconsin’s voters support school choice — and that support is broad and cross-partisan. 57% of respondents were more likely to support a candidate who backs school choice, with supporters outpacing opponents by a 2:1 margin.

Net support for school choice hit double digits in every region of the state but one: Dane County. Tellingly, the two candidates loudest in calling for the elimination of the state’s Parental Choice Programs, Rep. Francesca Hong and Sen. Kelda Roys, both hail from Madison.

The split between committed partisans and the rest of the electorate on this issue is striking. Support for school choice runs:

net +14 among the crucial bloc of independent voters
net +32 among the 45% of likely Democratic primary voters who haven’t yet picked a candidate

That gap deserves a closer look. The undecided majority of Dem primary voters and the minority who’ve already picked a candidate are nearly 50 points apart on school choice. Undecideds are 30 points more likely to back a candidate who supports public charter schools, 22 points more likely to back one who supports school choice broadly, and 9 points less likely to back one who toes the teachers union line.

Primary voters aren’t yet hearing a K12 message that meets them where they are: neither the urgency they feel about student outcomes, nor their desire to improve, rather than eliminate, school choice. That’s a real split between the Dane County Democratic echo chamber and the rest of the state – and a wide-open lane for a candidate willing to lay out a plan that ensures Wisconsin’s students have access to more high-quality, accountable schools: district, public charter, and private alike.

The lesson here for both parties should be obvious. Voters are looking for leaders willing to confront Wisconsin’s education crisis with urgency, honesty, and a focus on results, not ideological litmus tests or political theater.

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 5/15/2026

Fri, 15 May 2026 15:03:18 GMT

STUDENT-FIRST AGENDA

CFC lays out the final pillar of its 2026 Student-First Agenda--the crisis at MPS:

“What’s required is sustained, structural action. Not a premature victory lap on closing one year’s budget gap, or on a graduation rate that still leaves more than one in four MPS students without a diploma. Not another round of leadership roulette without governance change. Real, meaningful, academically focused intervention must remain on the table.”

1

Milwaukee’s “Learning Recession”: Near Worst-in-the-Nation Outcomes for MKE and WI

Context: Test scores released over the last year have shown MPS with some of the lowest achievement and biggest achievement gaps in the country.

This crisis is concentrated on Milwaukee’s North Side, already identified by CFC as ground zero for some of the nation's worst achievement gaps, but its consequences reach every neighborhood, every employer, and every taxpayer in our city.

Why This Matters: This week, new data from the Educational Opportunity Project, Stanford, and Harvard confirms the damage:

MKE at the bottom: From 2015 to 2025, MPS ranked in the 1st percentile of districts for both math (10,088 of 10,205 districts) and reading (0th percentile for Black students)--meaning 99% of districts grew more. MPS students perform more than 3 grade levels behind the national average from a decade ago, and scores in reading continue to decline

MPS: Average Test Scores, 2022-2025

Graphic: The Opportunity Project

Wisconsin stagnant: The state ranks 33rd out of 38 states in math and 30th out of 35 states in reading.

Milwaukee and Wisconsin’s results reflect what the researchers call the “learning recession”: test scores began declining six years before the pandemic due to, among other things, a lack of accountability.

Other demographically similar cities like Detroit made positive gains in this report due to a combination of stable leadership, high-quality curriculum implemented with fidelity, and accountability. CFC’s Student-First Agenda points to Wisconsin’s lack of accountability as a driver of these failing scores.

What’s Next: MPS must be on the political agenda in 2026. CFC’s new polling shows the public is ahead of elected officials, with 1 in 2 voters supporting state intervention and 2 in 3 voters favor consolidation over another tax hike.

Related:

2

State Senate Kills Property Tax Relief and 50% Special Education Reimbursement

Context: In a late-night vote this week, the State Senate killed a budget deal that would have boosted school funding while lowering property taxes. The deal would have increased the special education reimbursement rate to 50%, which CFC has been a strong supporter of, while giving all Milwaukee schools funding boosts: more than $50 million for MPS and $300/student for public charter and private choice schools.

Why This Matters: Gov. Evers and legislative Republican leadership had agreed on the compromise, including property tax rebates, earlier this week. Earlier, the Assembly passed the deal on a bipartisan basis, but progress stalled in the Senate.

Prominent Democrats led the charge to kill the deal, including candidates for Governor Francesca Hong and Kelda Roys (who is endorsed by the state’s teachers union). Some who opposed the deal instead pointed to proposals like AB 1176, which would have left out half of Milwaukee’s students, as their preferred plan. Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany also came out against the bill.

Three Republicans joined all Democrats in rejecting the bill in the State Senate.

The education community across Wisconsin expressed deep disappointment that the deal failed to pass:

The 50% reimbursement for special education and $16 million in additional per-pupil dollars for private & charter schools would have provided critical relief now.
Taxpayers are missing out on $300 per individual filer and $600 for married joint filers.

What’s Next: Legislative Democrats like Rep. Hong and union-endorsed Sen. Roys, and US Rep. Tiffany pointed toward a hypothetical better deal after November.

Related:

3

MPS Budget Proposal Puts Resources in Classrooms

Context: Facing a $400M+ structural deficit and declining enrollment, Superintendent Cassellius has focused on prioritizing classroom positions and cutting Central Office staff. Earlier this month, she announced the new budget proposal.

Why This Matters: The budget cuts 100 administrative positions and adds roughly 150 teaching and 140 paraprofessional positions. At a May 12th budget hearing, teachers raised concerns about adding staff amid declining enrollment and a proposed consolidation of equity efforts at the Central Office.

What’s Next: The public will have additional opportunities to provide feedback at other board meetings scheduled in May before an expected vote on May 28th. Shifting 100 positions toward classrooms is a start, but it does not address the structural mismatch between buildings and students.

Related:

4

2026 National Charter Schools Week

Context: Nearly 1 in 2 Milwaukee students attend a public charter or private choice school, yet MPS continues to be a ‘hostile partner’ to public charter schools.

Why This Matters: May 10-16 is National Charter Schools Week. CFC’s latest polling shows strong support for public charter schools:

Majority support: 60% of Wisconsin voters support public charter schools
Accountability is popular: 80% of voters say they’re more likely to support a candidate for governor who would hold all publicly funded schools accountable for student outcomes
Undecideds support choice: Among undecided Democrats, 43% say they’d be more likely to support a candidate who supports school choice--compared to 37% who have already chosen a gubernatorial candidate.

What’s Next: Here in Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Community Journal closed out its 50th anniversary by recalling its history of advocating for public charter schools and school choice by focusing on the mother of school choice, Rep. Polly Williams.

5

Student Enrollment Falling Across the Country

Context: MPS has lost 1 in 3 students over the past 20 years, and cities and states across the country are beginning to see similar changes.

Why This Matters: The number of public school students has fallen in 30 states since the mid-2010s, driven by declining birth rates. Even Texas, which has seen significant population growth, is losing students.

Cities facing the same pressures are responding with action. Denver and Indianapolis are closing schools and making deliberate budget cuts. National experts argue that public charter schools can help strengthen K-12 education during this period. MPS has done neither: no rightsizing plan and no structural response to a trend that is only accelerating.

What’s Next: Other districts are using declining enrollment to raise school quality. Milwaukee’s leaders will decide whether MPS follows that path or continues to wait.

Related:

CFC MKE Education News & Views

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 8/28/2026

CFC IN THE NEWS

1

Voters Want Accountability, Not an End to School Choice

2

Cassellius: ‘Time to Make a Decision’ on MPS Buildings

3

Tech Roundup: AI Enters Wisconsin Classrooms, Meta Settles for $17B

4

School Choice Grows as Wisconsin Starts the School Year

MORE

LOCAL

STATE

NATIONAL

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 08/21/2026

1

Crowley Win Shows Democrats the Way Forward on School Choice

2

Feds Launch Investigation into MPS Disciplinary Practices

3

First Day of School for Milwaukee Students

4

“Honesty Gap”: New Report Highlights Wisconsin’s Lowered Expectations

5

Tennessee, Arizona Retreat on Choice Accountability as MKE Leaders Push Back

MORE

LOCAL

STATE

NATIONAL

Education Was on the Ballot. And the Message Was Clear.

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 8/14/2026

CFC IN THE NEWS

1

Education Helps Power Crowley’s Come From Behind Primary Win

2

“School Choice is on the Move” as Milwaukee Starts School Year

3

WI Loses Educated Workers at Second-Highest Rate in Nation

4

New Studies Show Accountability and Choice Working

5

Seton Catholic Opens New Campuses

MORE

LOCAL

STATE

NATIONAL

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 8/7/2026

Make An Informed Vote: CFC’s Voter Information Resources for the August 11th Election

CFC IN THE NEWS

1

Days Before Election, Hong Calls to Defund Schools for 30,000 Milwaukee Kids By 2030

2

Carmen Schools Opens New Campuses

3

Declining Enrollment + Broken State Funding Formula = A Wisconsin-Wide Problem

4

The Houston Model: Superintendent Makes Case for Accountability for School Turnaround

MORE

LOCAL

NATIONAL

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 7/31/2026

1

Barnes Exits Race as Democratic Field Narrows Around Anti-School Choice Candidate

2

School Funding and Act 10 Head Toward Wisconsin’s Liberal Supreme Court

3

MPS Ops Changes: Chicago Recruits, State Finance Lead, Transit Overhaul

4

Top-Rated Aug Prep Opens on Former Cardinal Stritch Campus

5

How to Fix the US’s Low Student Achievement? Accountability and Data

MORE

LOCAL

STATE

NATIONAL

There Is No “Responsible” Way to End School Choice

Your MKE Edu News Brief: 7/24/2026

1

Governor’s Race: Crowley Returns, Candidates Talk Education, and Voters Remain Undecided