The Milwaukee Public Schools Board Committee on Innovation and School Reform has a packed agenda for its meeting tomorrow evening at 5:30 p.m.
Most of the 20 items relate to closing or changing school programs, though there are also some recommendations to renew some expiring charter school contracts.
Some of the closure items have roots in the recently released Facilities Master Plan. Others do not. A number of that plan's recommendations have been dropped in recent days.
Public testimony will be heard at Tuesday's meeting. Some other items are on the agenda for Thursday's Accountability, Personnel and Finance Committee meeting. Testimony will be taken at that meeting, too.
Here are some of the subjects of action items. Note that an instrumentality requires that a charter school hire unionized MPS teachers. Non-instrumentality charters do not carry that stipulation.
- Recommendation to close the Dr. George Washington Carver Academy of Mathematics and Science School educational program at the end of the 2011-12 School Year.
- Recommendation to relocate the Wisconsin Conservatory
of Lifelong Learning's educational program to the Sarah Scott facility at the end of the 2011-12 School Year. - Recommendation to relocate the Hamlin Garland Elementary School's educational program to the Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning's facility and to expand the educational program to K-8 at the end of the 2011-12 School Year.
- Request for authorization to enter into negotiations to amend the
instrumentality charter school contract with Kosciuszko Montessori
Charter School. - Recommendation to relocate the Hayes Bilingual Elementary School's educational program to the Kosciuszko Facility and to expand the educational program to K-8 at the end of the 2011-12 School Year.
- Recommendation to close the John Burroughs Middle School's
educational program at the end of the 2011-12 School Year. - Recommendation for non-renewal of the non-instrumentality
charter school contract with Wisconsin Career Academy. - Recommendation for non-renewal of the instrumentality charter
school contract with James Madison Academic Campus. - Request for non-renewal of the instrumentality charter school contract for Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language.
- Mutual request for termination of the instrumentality charter school contract with Montessori High School, an IB World School, and closure of the school at the end of the 2011-12 School Year.
- Recommendation to relocate MacDowell Montessori's K-8 educational program to the Juneau facility and to expand the educational program to K3-Grade 12 at the end of the 2011-12 School Year.
- Mutual request for termination of the instrumentality charter school contract with School for Urban Planning And Architecture (SUPAR) and closure of the school at the end of the 2011-12 School Year.
- Mutual request for the termination of the instrumentality charter
school contract with WORK Institute and closure of the school at the end of the 2011-12 School Year. - Mutual request for termination of the instrumentality charter school contract with Advanced Language and Academic Studies (ALAS) and the closure of the school at the end of the 2011-12 School Year.
- Recommendation for the non-renewal of the instrumentality charter school contract with Milwaukee School of Entrepreneurship (MSE).
- Recommendation for renewal of the instrumentality charter school
contract with Community High School. - Recommendation for renewal of the instrumentality charter school
contract with the Alliance School. - Recommendation for renewal of the non-instrumentality charter
school contract with Carmen High School of Science and Technology. - Request for authority to submit a request to the Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction to allow early start dates for Ronald Wilson Reagan College Preparatory High School (Grades 9-12) and Rufus King International School (Grades 6-12). - Resolution 1112R-003 by Director (Mark) Sain to conduct a feasibility study to explore opening a high school for safety and criminal justice in the Webster facility.
You can read the supporting documentation in the official agenda, which can be downloaded as a PDF.
Even as these myriad discussions are being had, rumors continue to swirl about other potential moves. Stay tuned.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
