Of course,  MPS should sell the 27 vacant  and under-used  buildings to whomever wants them.  According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,  that could bring in up to $35 million, which MPS needs desperately in the wake of   reduction in state aid proposed  by Governor Walker.

Beyond that, MPS  should  sell the naming rights to Milwaukee Public Schools.  We already named Bradley Tech after a big donor, and Racine named a high school after the J I Case company some years ago.  UWM  garnered millions from Sheldon Lubar, after whom the  UWM Business School has been named.   The Kohl Athletic Center at UW-Madison was named for a big donor, too, as was the Eckstein Law School at Marquette.    If the Miller Park district and  the big universities are not too proud to  name structures after  those willing to pay big time, why not  MPS?

The 85,000 students enrolled in MPS  are a big market, and I believe that  corporations that cater to the youth market, such as Sony, Adidas, and Apple,  would be willing to pay for naming rights to schools, especially if  that included  the rights to assign  team colors, names and logos.  For example,  if  McDonald's  outbid  Wendy's, Arby's.  and Domino's for the naming rights to a high school,  the school's teams might be known as the Golden Archers, with uniforms designed accordingly.  Imagine a big game between Nike High and Reebok High-----now, that would be a rivalry!

I would market  5-year naming rights on a competitive bid basis, with payments to MPS due annually.  Of course,  products that cannot be used by children  such as  guns,  beer and tobacco would be excluded.  Philanthropists such as  Herb Kohl, Chris Abele, and  Sheldon Lubar could play too;   for example Washington High School  (where Kohl graduated in 1953) might become Max Kohl High School, named after the senator's  father.  

We would need a top-notch  marketing/fund-raising  director to run the program, but that person could be worth his or her weight in gold.  Sure, this would be tacky, but tacky is better than poor.

Gerald S Glazer, Candidate for School Director for the Seond District.