By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Nov 03, 2017 at 11:58 AM

Time flies when you’re having fun. It seems like just yesterday that Milwaukee Public Schools did its last long range facilities master plan, but that was 2011 and since then there’s been no small amount of chatter in these parts about school buildings and who should control them and be allowed to buy them and for what purpose.

As the state’s mandate that only charter and private schools could buy MPS properties declared surplus by the district recently expired on a number of buildings that are now back on the free market to anyone who is interested and has the means, MPS has announced that it is undertaking its next facilities master plan, which will be created in concert with Florida-based MGT Consulting Group.

In the first half of the 20th century, the district was often doing a buildings plan at five-year intervals, but with so much to discuss in the district these days – and as budgets are tighter than ever – seven years seems about right. Anyway, some of the decision-making comes down to demographic shifts, and considering the federal census is an every-10-years proposition, seven seems a good compromise.

"The district seeks a new plan to align with changes that have occurred within the last five or more years in our community," reads a statement from MPS issued this morning. "Developing this plan requires an understanding of the facility implications of the education mission, goals and programs of the district as well as significant input from students, families, staff, community members and partners.

"A Long-range Facilities Master Plan (LRFMP) will provide a cost effective, actionable plan to address the short- and long-term facility needs of the district. Drafting the plan will include a comprehensive analysis of education trends, school programming, capacity, building standards, operating costs and other factors. This information will be used to allocate resources and make decisions for the long-term, best interests of our students and community."

The final report is expected to be presented to the Milwaukee Board of School Directors in March.

The last plan report was published in November 2011 and ran 114 pages. Among the facility recommendations it made were:

While you and I might debate (or bicker, depending) on the efficacy of the changes that grew from the last LRFMP – the creation of which is a complicated and emotional business – it’s clear that the plan was acted upon and not simply filed away for historians to look at later.

In order to get community input, MPS is holding a series of community conversations, inviting staff, parents, students and community members to have their say. They will be held from 6 until 7 p.m. on:

  • Wednesday, Nov. 8, South Division High School, 1515 W. Lapham Blvd.
  • Monday, Nov. 13, Bay View High School, 2751 S. Lenox St.
  • Wednesday, Nov. 15, Hopkins-Lloyd Community School, 1503 W. Hopkins St.
  • Wednesday, Nov. 29, James Madison Academic Campus, 8135 W. Florist Ave.

For more information click here.

Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer

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.