Latest news with #MilwaukeePublicSchools'
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
In surprise ceremony, 'Sra. Fink' from MPS' Milwaukee Spanish Immersion is named a Wisconsin Teacher of the Year
Before a gymnasium filled with cheering kids, second-grade teacher Toni Fink finally walked up to the microphone. "I have no secrets. I love all the kids, that's it," Fink said, as she made a heart gesture with her hands. Fink had just been named a Wisconsin Teacher of the Year 2026 in a surprise ceremony at Milwaukee Public Schools' Milwaukee Spanish Immersion School Upper Campus. Like her colleagues and their elementary students at the K4 through fifth-grade school, Fink hadn't been given a reason for the surprise schoolwide assembly on May 14. But the event quickly turned into a celebration with flying confetti and congratulations between tearful colleagues at the school where Fink has taught for over 25 years. "She was a little nervous this morning, everybody, because I think she knew something was different — the energy was different," said Principal Marybell Nieves-Harris. "We are just so happy." Nieves-Harris described what it was like to ask Fink, a longtime fifth-grade teacher, to switch to teaching second grade. "I said to her, 'Sra. Fink, you are so special that we need you at the beginning of second grade so that you can touch the lives of all the children by the time they're in fifth grade,'" Nieves-Harris said. Fink's mother, Pamela Sanicola, was among the group of family and friends who filed onto the school stage as the award was announced. Event organizers had sneaked them into the school without Fink knowing to join the ceremony. Sanicola said the family knew about the award for about a month in advance — and kept it a secret. "We've lied to her so much," Sanicola said. "She thought I was at the doctor's office." Sanicola said her daughter wanted to be a teacher since she was little. Now, she's the type who spends her summers at teacher institutes and exudes passion for the job. 'You would think it was her first day," Sanicola said. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction names five Teachers of the Year annually. For 2026, other award winners teach in Darlington, Mishicot, Sun Prairie and Greenfield. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly traveled from Madison to Milwaukee for the surprise ceremony. Addressing the crowd, she described Fink as a "fierce and caring advocate for her students and their families." As an example, she said that when Fink's students needed winter gear to enjoy recess outside, she decided to create a schoolwide drive for clothing. "While she brings a wealth of experience to her classroom, what makes her so beloved is that she never stops learning, growing and evolving. Her energy is contagious, and her joy for teaching lifts everyone around her," Underly said. Winners this year each receive $3,000 from the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation. For Fink, that money will be used to upgrade the school science lab. Fink is the fifth Milwaukee Public Schools educator to receive the award since 2020. During the ceremony, MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius greeted the auditorium in Spanish. Then she asked the crowd of young kids to point to their teachers and support staff in appreciation of their work. "I am so impressed by you and your school and all of your amazing teachers here," Cassellius said. Marva Herndon, vice president of the MPS Board of School Directors, praised the immersion school's academics and focus on immersing kids in Spanish. "It is always a pleasure to be in the presence of professionals whose life work, 1, inspires an entire generation, No. 2, adds value to a student's self-worth and image, (and) No. 3 impacts the Milwaukee community through its daily efforts, without accolades," Herndon said. After an interview process, one of the five Teachers of the Year will represent Wisconsin in the Council of Chief State School Officers' National Teacher of the Year Program. Along with Fink, other Wisconsin Teachers of the Year for 2026 are: School: Darlington Elementary/Middle School in the Darlington Community School District According to DPI, "Acherman has taught in Darlington since 1994 and is known for his hands-on approach to science education, incorporating field trips, guest speakers, and community partnerships. He also coaches youth and school sports, advises STEM clubs, and helped found the Jim Huston Nature Trail – an outdoor classroom that connects students and the community to nature and science." School: Sun Prairie East High School in the Sun Prairie Area School District "Coyne leads both the Business Leadership Academy and the Sports, Entertainment, and Tourism Marketing Academy at Sun Prairie East. Through his work with Sun Prairie's Business Education Partnership, he has built strong relationships with local businesses and organizations to enhance learning and create leadership opportunities for students to make a difference in their community," DPI said. School: Glenwood Elementary School in the Greenfield School District "Dixon has taught second grade at Glenwood Elementary in the School District of Greenfield for the past 13 years. Known for her passion, advocacy, and leadership, she is deeply committed to empowering both students and fellow educators. Dixon creates academically rich and inclusive classrooms that nurture creativity, curiosity, and kindness. She also holds leadership roles at the district, community, and state levels," DPI said. School: O.H. Schultz Elementary School in the Mishicot School District "Van Hefty has dedicated the past 27 years to serving as a special education teacher at O.H. Schultz Elementary School in the School District of Mishicot. Throughout her career, she has been a champion for inclusive education and student advocacy, building strong, meaningful connections with her students, families, and colleagues. Van Hefty is widely recognized for creating nurturing, student-centered learning environments that foster growth, independence, and confidence," according to DPI. 2024: Claudia Heller de Messer, English as a second language teacher at Milwaukee Parkside School for the Arts 2021: Koren Jackson, special education teacher at Milwaukee Transition High School and Susan Richardson, Milwaukee German Immersion School 2020: Chad Spurzel-Wuchterl, art teacher at Reagan High School Cleo Krejci covers higher education, vocational training and retraining as a Report For America corps member based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at CKrejci@ Follow her on Twitter @_CleoKrejci. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Teacher from MPS school named one of five 2026 Teachers of the Year
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Milwaukee School Board approves Brenda Cassellius' superintendent contract
The Milwaukee School Board has approved the contract for new Milwaukee Public Schools superintendent Brenda Cassellius. Board members approved her contract 8-0 at a special meeting Tuesday evening. Board member Darryl Jackson was absent. "With Dr. Cassellius at the helm, the board is confident that our district will continue to rise to the challenge of ever-changing educational landscape," Milwaukee School Board president Marva Herndon said at the meeting. Cassellius will begin leading MPS March 15. Her contract is for two years, which will not exceed the duration required by state law, a news release from the Milwaukee Public Schools' Office of Board Governance said. The news release did not say what Cassellius' salary will be. The last permanent superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, Keith Posley, had an annual salary of $302,358 for the 2023-24 school year, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's staff salary database. According to state statute, a school board's employment contract with a school district administrator, or superintendent, a business manager and school principals and assistants may not exceed two years. The board's approval of Cassellius' contract comes after the board selected her in February out of three finalists for the position. The other two finalists were Joshua Starr, former superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, and Andrae Townsel, superintendent of Calvert County Public Schools in Maryland. Interim Milwaukee Public Schools' superintendent Eduardo Galvan will assist with the transition, the news release said. Cassellius said she was excited to get started sooner, as opposed to start in July with the new school year, to get a team in place faster and address issues so teachers are supported and principals have what they need before schools open next fall. 'I'm really just super excited to work with the community across all sectors and to get the work done on behalf of our children and our families," Cassellius said in a phone interview Tuesday night. Cassellius' hiring and contract approval ends a months-long process to find a new permanent superintendent that started when Posley resigned last June. The board appointed Galvan the following month as the district's interim superintendent. Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee School Board approves Brenda Cassellius' superintendent contract
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New MPS superintendent Brenda Cassellius talks challenges, urgency
The Brief MPS' incoming superintendent said there's an urgency to fix the district's many problems. FOX6 News questioned Brenda Cassellius on a number of challenges the district faces. MPS expects that the new superintendent's contract will start July 1. MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Public Schools' incoming superintendent said there's an urgency to fix the district's many problems. FOX6 News questioned Brenda Cassellius on a number of challenges the district faces. Here's what she had to say. The backstory An independent audit released Thursday said MPS had "a longstanding culture of fear and reluctance to change, compounded by high turnover across the organization and recruitment challenges, have stalled or altogether prevented change-making efforts." SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News What they're saying "You bring the joy. You bring the bring the love and caring, even when I had to let people go or move people in different positions because it's a better fit for their expertise. You know, those are difficult. Those are just difficult management issues," said Cassellius. "But, you know, you do that in in concert with the employees. And so you want to be able to ensure that you're always being respectful of people and how and the time and service that they've provided the children." The backstory Cassellius said vacancies are a challenge, but she said, since she won the job, she's been getting calls from colleagues who might want to work at MPS. She suggested using a hiring panel to help. What they're saying "One big heavy lift is going to be going through all of the job descriptions in the roles of the district, so that there's not this duplication. So that people are clear on what their expectations are," she said. "I believe that sometimes new leadership can inspire people to new levels of expectation." FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android The backstory The school district's required financial reporting to the state was more than a year late. The former superintendent resigned during the crisis. Then, the Milwaukee Health Department recently found dangerously high levels of lead in a couple of schools. What they're saying "I feel this tremendous amount of urgency to get to it. You know, we have the lead issue and, you know, wanting to work with the city on that. Obviously, that relates then to the overall larger facilities issue," said Cassellius. "There's strategic planning with the board that is in the audit. So getting some of those initial conversations and listening sessions going would be really nice to be able to do with the community, so that we can hear directly from them and start building those relationships and start rebuilding trust." The backstory MPS' national report card shows only 8% of eighth-graders are proficient in math, and 15% are proficient in reading. What they're saying "It'll be rare that you hear me talk about children only, because children don't just come to us as just children. They come with whole systems of support. Or, unfortunately, some children come to us with very limited systems of support," Cassellius said. "It's up to us, as adults, to create the conditions in which children succeed. And it's up to us to be sure that they have everything that they need or that their family needs in order to create stability, so they can succeed." The backstory The school district has also failed to bring in the 25 school resource officers that state law required to start in January 2024. What they're saying "I do want to say that I know that in earnest the team is working hard to get these agreements with the city. And I think the city is also there at the table in earnest. So I'm hoping that they come with some agreements," said Cassellius. "What's more important to me as the new superintendent coming in is going to be how are they reintroduced to the communities that they're serving, and how are we going to be interacting with our current 260 school safety officers within our schools and our school administrative teams. "I like to meet deadlines, and I always do. So that's something that just really matters when you have something. Obviously, I was the commissioner of education. So we had a lot of deadlines." The backstory As Milwaukee Public Schools deals with declining enrollment, leaders have said school mergers or closures weren't just a possibility – they were probable. What they're saying "I went out to all 125 schools within the first 100 days (in Boston). Now, that nearly killed me. So I'm not sure I can do that, but I'm definitely going to go walk our school buildings and get a good sense of what the buildings are like, because, of course, this decision is more, you know, it's one about the economics of it overall, and underutilization of buildings," Cassellius said. "Then it's about enrollment, and what is predicted around the enrollments within that community. And then it's about academics, and how are the students actually doing at the building? And then it's about what's the condition of the building. So you need to look at all of those data points." The backstory Cassellius faced some criticism about her time as superintendent in Boston. Here's what she said about that and what's next. What they're saying "You know, I think that anytime you're going into a turnaround situation, you will be criticized as a superintendent," she said. "When you start moving people's cheese, it's not easy. And it is hard. It's just really, really hard work to be able to crank that flywheel. And it means that sometimes people don't agree with your policies, or they don't agree with, you know, the way that you've restructured. What's next MPS expects that the new superintendent's contract will start July 1. The incoming superintendent said she'll be in town next week. She still has to finish negotiating her contract, including her exact start day. "It may take a few years, and I hope we'll see some quick results and some quick wins, but I know this work is going to be hard," she said. Cassellius said one of those early quick wins will be listening sessions to hear from the community. The Source Information in this report is from FOX6 News interviews and prior FOX6 coverage.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
With a judge's Feb. 17 deadline approaching, MPS has an offer on the table for school police
With a judge's Feb. 17 deadline for compliance quickly approaching, Milwaukee Public Schools' board of directors and the city of Milwaukee are still negotiating on an agreement that would fulfill state law. The law requires the district to create a school-based police program. During a Tuesday night press conference about MPS' newly named superintendent, MPS board member Missy Zombor responded to a reporter's question with details about ongoing negotiations related to school resource officers. Zombor said MPS has an offer out to the city: for the district to pay for 33% of the cost of the school resource officer program, plus provide training for 25 officers and five alternates. "(Part of) the shared revenue sales tax deal, the city was the recipient of over $200 million. MPS was not a recipient of that money," Zombor told reporters Tuesday. She said the district had offered to conduct negotiations with the help of a mediator. Via email, the spokesperson for Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Jeff Fleming, said MPS had agreed to maintain confidentiality about the status and terms of the ongoing negotiations about school resource officers. "It is highly disappointing MPS has broken that promise," Fleming said, declining to provide further details about the negotiations. "The city continues to act in good faith, and it is our hope we can resolve any differences through the mutually agreed upon process." Fleming also said the city had first offered mediation, not the district. Since Jan. 1, 2024, MPS has been required by a state law known as Act 12 to ensure 25 police officers are "present" in the district during school hours. MPS' lack of compliance with that law prompted a lawsuit by a district parent and the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty. More: Despite MPS missing deadline, debate heats up on police in Milwaukee schools On Jan. 23, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Borowski ordered that MPS have police in place by Feb. 17. That created a deadline of just over three weeks for MPS and the city to finalize their negotiations. On Wednesday, Zombor acknowledged that discussions took place about not pursuing media with updates about the negotiations. However, she said that when asked by a reporter during a news conference, she felt it was her responsibility "to answer honestly and transparently." "We remain committed to continuing the conversation to come to a resolution," she said. More: In Milwaukee, police respond to thousands of calls to MPS: 'Why do we call the police?' Act 12 provided no funding to implement the school resource officer program, which is estimated to cost at least $2 million annually. Instead, it required the MPS board and the city to agree to an "apportionment" of the costs. Deciding who pays for that mandate has been an issue ever since, with the school board and city disagreeing about which party should be responsible. The issue of school police is tense in Milwaukee: MPS previously cut ties with police in June 2020 amid calls from local activists about over-policing of people of color in the wake of national protests over the murder of George Floyd. In a statement Wednesday, Gov. Tony Evers said MPS has been working diligently in recent weeks to make progress. "I'm glad to see this good-faith effort to try and reach consensus. Let's get this done," Evers said. Cleo Krejci covers K-12 education and workforce development as a Report For America corps member based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at CKrejci@ or follow her on Twitter @_CleoKrejci. For more information about Report for America, visit This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee schools make offer to fulfill Act 12 school police law
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
One in three Wisconsin school districts offer just one language: Spanish. Is that enough?
There are students in Wisconsin learning Hebrew, Ho-Chunk, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Menominee and Ojibwe. But in analyzing the teaching in Wisconsin of what's come to be known as world languages, there really are two worlds. Spanish. And everything else. Of the state's 421 school districts, 132 — essentially one in three — offer students just one language, Spanish. Of the rest, 98 offered two languages, 74 offered three, 49 offered four, 63 offered five or more, and some did not provide data, according to Chris Bucher, communications officer for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. To get a sense of how Spanish dwarfs all other languages, it is the choice of 290,864 K-12 students statewide as of the 2022-23 school year, the most recent data available. The next highest: French, with 38,818 students. In other words, Spanish is taught to seven-and-a-half times more students. Filling out the top five most popular languages statewide are: German, with 12,036 students; American Sign Language, 6,450; and Chinese, 4,862. To some degree, that makes sense, because Spanish is far and away the most common language spoken in the U.S. after English. But after that, Asian languages — forms of Chinese, Tagalog (Filipino), and Vietnamese are spoken at higher rates than European languages. The state mandates that districts offer at least one language in grades 7-12, and Bucher said "most" are in compliance. There is no language mandate to graduate, although individual districts can enact that requirement. But for those who do immerse themselves in a language, there's a proven payoff. Learning another language can help with career development, said Appleton Area School District World Language Coordinator Kelly Leopold. "When you think about work later on, people who are bilingual instead of monolingual have a higher average salary and greater career opportunities," Leopold said. Another benefit is brain development, according to Milwaukee Public Schools' World Languages/Immersion Curriculum Specialist Solmaris Gonzalez Chico. "The more languages you have in your brain, the more brain you use. That's why it actually helps students with solving problems because, of course, learning a new language you have to problem solve because in your head, it's like: Oh wait, how do we say this?" Gonzalez Chico said. Critical thinking is yet another skill that learning a language can help develop, she said. "You're actually making sense of maybe new vocab or maybe new items and you're going between language one and language two," said Gonzalez Chico. You're going "back and forth, making sense of it." Learning another language also helps with learning about how to interact with people of different cultures in a responsive and respectable way, according to Green Bay Area Public School District curriculum coordinator of world language Kelly Votava. "There's such a benefit to that as well," Votava said. Finally, one of the best benefits of learning a second language is that it improves a student's skills in their first language, said Leopold of Appleton. "It's assisting reading, writing, vocabulary and grammar skills, as well as those interpersonal skills as I mentioned before, which are those conversational skills," Leopold said. Leopold said when she first started teaching world languages, the focus was on rote memorization and repetition. Now it's about the application of skills. "So it's not about memorizing a list of vocabulary terms. It's about interacting with their teacher and their peers in the classroom and using the language," said Leopold. The idea is to share the language in a personal way. "It's not about how to conjugate a verb in ten different sentences," she said. "It's about being able to have that conversation or present on something or interpret it where the tense is used and you maybe didn't have to form it or you were able to form it with your resources, but it wasn't perfect, but you were able to communicate." Leopold also said the amount of people going into teaching languages has changed over the years too. She said when she was first hired in the Appleton Area School District in 1999, there were more than 50 world language teachers. Now it's down to 30. But she acknowledged that decline is also occurring in core subjects. Andrea Behn, a French teacher at Janesville Parker High School and president of the Wisconsin Association for Language Teachers, said in an informal survey of 70 members, only one said there was an increase in world language enrollment. 'Every district is going to be really different," Behn said. "Then you look at bigger cities like Janesville and Appleton and Madison and then smaller districts that can only afford to have one language. A total variety of reasons, but I see enrollment going down all over the state," she said. Behn said she's heard students tell her they don't want to take more world language classes because they did not want to be world language teachers. She said that's a mistake. "Sometimes, it's just developing as a kind human," Behn said. She said it can help to realize where a person is coming from, "culturally or linguistically," to realize there's more going on than initially is apparent. Behn said "there is a massive need" in Wisconsin for those who can speak other languages. "Businesses can't seem to find enough of them. I don't know if the word is out on that. I know I talk about it all the time and I can't imagine there's not a world language teacher who mentions this once a week. People want to hire people with language abilities," she said. In the 2022-23 school year, Milwaukee Public Schools reported enrollments in American Indian, American Sign Language, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish, Bucher said. Bucher said smaller districts often use virtual school course offerings to provide access to a diversity of other languages. "Some districts have begun to offer classrooms in which students are engaged in guided, but independent, learning of less commonly taught languages such as Arabic and Russian," Bucher said. School districts statewide offer varying language classes. For example, the Greendale School District offers Spanish beginning in kindergarten and running through 12th grade. In high school, it also has German and American Sign Language options. The New Berlin School District offers Spanish and French in person and Latin and Mandarin online in grades seven through 12. High school students can take other languages through the Early College Credit Program, which allows them to get credit for taking college classes. The Green Bay Area Public School District offers French and Spanish beginning in middle school. At the high school level, the district offers Spanish at all of its high schools, French at three of its high schools, Chinese at three of its high schools and American Sign Language at one of its high schools. Green Bay's highest enrolled language is Spanish, followed by American Sign Language. "Even though it's only offered at one school, it's our second highest language. We have different universities in the state that also have really good ASL programs, so students are able to then continue with their learning after high school when they're at higher levels," said Votava. The Appleton Area School District offers French and Spanish at the middle and high school levels. The district also offers the K-5 Appleton Bilingual School and it will also be opening a Hmong American immersion school in fall 2025. All of that is a reflection of the world students are graduating into. More than 100 languages are spoken in Wisconsin alone. That's one of the reasons educators dropped the phrase "foreign languages" in favor of the more inclusive and welcoming world languages. And 350 languages are used by students and their families nationwide, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or Follow him on Twitter at@AlecJohnson12. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Spanish is the overwhelming language choice of Wisconsin students
