Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) will start the new school year without police officers, despite a legislative mandate requiring their presence. This decision violates a key provision of the current state budget, which had set a deadline of January 1, 2024, for officers to be reinstated in MPS schools. The requirement was part of a deal reached in June 2023, allowing the city and county to increase sales taxes in exchange for enhancing school safety by deploying officers in crime-affected schools.
State Senator John Jagler, chair of the Senate Committee on Education, expressed his frustration over MPS’s non-compliance. “They are breaking the law and they don’t care because there are no ramifications for not complying with this,” Jagler said, highlighting what he described as a “flippant attitude” by MPS officials toward the agreement.
MPS officials, including Chief of Staff Paulette Chambers, have not provided a clear timeline for implementing a school resource officer plan. In an email to Senator Jagler, Chambers mentioned that the plan’s status would be discussed at an upcoming board meeting but gave no specifics on how soon officers could be deployed or how many might be involved.
Representative Bob Donovan, a supporter of the school resource officer mandate, criticized MPS’s lack of transparency and willingness to comply with the agreement. “They (MPS officials) have given every indication that they don’t want these officers back in the schools for whatever reason,” Donovan noted, calling for greater scrutiny of MPS’s actions at the state level.
Despite multiple inquiries from the Badger Institute, MPS officials have not responded. However, in a recent interview, board member Jilly Gokalgandhi emphasized her focus on “restorative justice” over placing officers in schools, prompting further concern from legislators.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson has voiced support for the presence of police in schools and urged MPS to comply with state law. Johnson revealed that a deal to bring officers back was initially prompted by a surge in police calls to Milwaukee high schools during the 2021-22 school year.
MPS officials have visited other districts, including Washington, D.C., and parts of Georgia, to observe resource officer programs, but there remains no concrete plan to implement a similar program in Milwaukee. The Badger Institute has filed a public information request to determine the cost and details of these visits.
The absence of police in MPS contrasts sharply with trends in other areas. In Georgia, significant funding has been allocated to enhance school safety programs, and Washington, D.C., has continued its resource officer presence in numerous schools. Meanwhile, Milwaukee and Madison remain the only two of the ten largest school districts in Wisconsin without a police presence, raising questions about their commitment to school safety and compliance with legislative mandates.