Latest news with #StephenDavis
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
LaFollette Elementary becomes 7th school cleared of lead dangers, according to MPS
LaFollette Elementary School has been cleared of dangers caused by lead paint, Milwaukee Public Schools announced June 11. It's the seventh school to have passed recent inspections for lead hazards by the City of Milwaukee Health Department. LaFollette school was constructed in 1897, making it among the oldest in MPS. An inspection in March found the building had dangerous levels of chipping paint and dust where young children could potentially ingest it, creating a poisoning hazard. More than 1,000 children in Milwaukee each year are poisoned by lead, mostly due to paint in older houses, according to the city. But a widespread lack of lead paint maintenance in MPS schools came to light in early 2025 after city health officials announced a child had been poisoned by lead paint at Golda Meir Lower Campus. LaFollette was among the early batch of six schools that closed temporarily this spring so lead hazards could be remediated. Closures affected about 1,800 MPS students. In closing March 17, LaFollette's 216 students in kindergarten through eighth grade transitioned to the Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning. They will remain there until the end of the school year on Friday, June 13 — about 13 weeks since the initial closure. MPS said that this summer, it will remediate lead paint in all schools built before 1950 that also educate elementary-age kids. It will do the same in schools built between 1950 and 1978 by the end of the calendar year. 'I'm grateful to the LaFollette School community for their continued partnership and patience as we undertook this important work,' Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said in a statement. 'A disruption like this one is never easy, but this school community navigated it with the best interests of students at the forefront. I'm glad we are making good progress on our lead stabilization efforts in our school buildings, guided by our Lead Action Plan. Our students and families deserve school buildings that are safe and welcoming.' According to an inspection report, 50% or more of painted surfaces at LaFollette were found to be deteriorating. "Heavy" levels of paint dust were found throughout the building, the report said. Chipping and peeling paint was found in classrooms with kindergarten-age children and children with disabilities, and in cafeteria areas, the report said. The inspection report also noted signs of disturbed asbestos, which pose "notable health (risks) to both adults & children)." MPS spokesperson Stephen Davis said that, during the March inspection at LaFollette, two potential asbestos-related issues were found: deteriorating plaster in a few areas and the end of the asbestos-containing pipe insulation was exposed and uncovered. The Environmental Protection Agency and Milwaukee Health Department were told the deteriorating plaster was not asbestos-containing, according to historical sample results. In addressing the issue with the pipe insulation, MPS' Environmental Health Services put in an emergency work order to seal the small section of pipe; that work was completed March 17. The pipe's wrapping was repaired to maintain the covering. No asbestos was removed. "The repaired canvas covering maintains the asbestos in a safe manner," Davis said. For LaFollette and all other MPS facilities that follow the EPA's Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act regulation, the district has an asbestos management plan in place to manage and address any maintenance and repair requests. That plan has been in place since the 1980s, he said. MPS also conducts re-inspections to assess the condition of asbestos-containing materials in each school every three years, as required by the EPA. Every six months between reinspections, the school's building engineer checks the building to ensure the asbestos-containing material within the building is undamaged, Davis said. Any damage identified during a three-year reinspection or six-month building check gets immediately fixed through the MPS work order system. 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: 128-year-old LaFollette Elementary School abated for lead, MPS says,
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Harvesters concerned about proposed SNAP funding cuts
KANSASS CITY, Mo. — Proposed changes to the federal food program for low-income households are at the heart of efforts to get a budget bill through Congress. Local food bank leaders say the proposals come at a time when food insecurity is at its peak. Staff at Harvesters Community Food Network are concerned about the potential strain that could put on organizations like Harvesters, which is already seeing an increase in demand while some of its resources shrink. 'With any reduction in SNAP, we just don't have the capacity to make up that gap. The charitable food system does not have the capacity to make up that gap. This is a critical week because the House of Representatives has been reviewing this for the last week. And the vote is this Thursday,' said Harvesters CEO Stephen Davis. Dozens of cars burned at auto auction mall in Kansas City The bill, headed to the House for a full vote on Thursday, contains a $300 billion cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program over the next decade. Davis says the SNAP program is critical for many families across the food bank's 27-county region. 'So Harvesters already distributes millions and millions of pounds of food, over 60 million pounds of food that we distributed last year. (The SNAP program) It is so imperative to the work that we do in our region, in that every one meal that we could provide as the food bank, SNAP provides nine meals to our communities. So it's just a critical nutrition program. It helps our children. It helps seniors who aren't able to work. It helps individuals with disabilities and working families ensure they have the food they need if they meet the income criteria to qualify for SNAP,' Davis said. Products are dwindling on many shelves in the food bank's warehouse. Davis says that's because of recent cuts to two major feeding programs, the high cost of food, and declining donations. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri 'Meal gap data was just released last week, numbers in the 27 counties we serve went from 340,000 people that are food insecure or one in 8 to 375,000 people that are food insecure or one in seven. So the rates of food insecurity are higher than they've been in a decade,' Davis explained. 'At the same time, we're losing resources through different programs. So I would say this program(SNAP) is critical.' Although Harvesters has faced challenges in recent months, staffers say they remain committed to serving the community and providing access to nutritious food. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
MPS could lose millions in funding if it doesn't abide by new federal guidelines
Milwaukee Public Schools is at risk of losing millions of dollars if it doesn't meet demands by the U.S. Department of Education. Here's what to know about how the potential cuts could affect MPS and schools statewide. In short: diversity, equity and inclusion policies. On April 3, the U.S. Department of Education gave 10 days for state education commissioners nationwide to verify districts in their states do not have any illegal DEI programs. Otherwise, school districts could be at risk of losing federal funding. The department sent a similar letter in February, saying it views such programs as discriminatory, illegal and "morally reprehensible." It said such programs violate Title IV of the Civil Rights Act, as well as the equal protection clause in the U.S. Constitution. The department has also asked for school districts to allow parents to review documents related to students' gender identity or risk losing federal funding. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed a complaint April 2 with the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice over MPS' gender inclusion plan, asking for the district's federal funding to be revoked if it doesn't rescind the plan. MPS generally receives almost $195 million in federal funding annually — about 20% of the district's revenue limit. The revenue limit, set by the state, restricts how much school districts can receive through state aid and property taxes, according to data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Of the district's nearly $195 million in federal funding, $146.2 million comes from the U.S. Department of Education. That's enough to pay for 1,640 full-time educator jobs, according to the DPI. Another $48.5 million comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to pay for meals for students. Federal funding supports students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged students and families, youth mental health programs, English language learners, smaller class sizes and initiatives providing access to school meals, career and technical education, academic opportunities and other programs, according to the DPI. MPS media manager Stephen Davis did not immediately respond to a request for comment. More: As Trump cuts federal funds, here's which Wisconsin school districts could be hit hardest More: Trump administration gives states 10 days to certify they've ended DEI in schools More: Federal education funding cuts would disproportionately hit poorer schools, Wisconsin DPI warns Claudia Levens contributed to this report. Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or Follow him on X (Twitter) at @AlecJohnson12. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: See how much federal funding MPS could be at risk of losing
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Here's how to enroll your child in an MPS kindergarten program
While the 2025-26 school year might seem a long way away, it's time to think about kindergarten enrollment in Milwaukee Public Schools. The district is offering a kindergarten enrollment fair Saturday, Feb. 22, at North Division High School, 1011 W. Center St., Milwaukee. Here's what to know about the upcoming kindergarten enrollment fair and the kindergarten enrollment process. Children who will turn 3, 4 or 5 by Sept. 1 are eligible to be enrolled. The kindergarten enrollment period for 2025-26 began Feb. 1 and runs until March 17. After that enrollment window closes, kindergarten enrollment will reopen April 7 and run until Aug. 29, according to the district website. The district encourages families to enroll early for the best chance at getting into the school of their choice. Seats are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. No documentation is required, according to MPS media relations manager Stephen Davis. Parents and guardians must complete an application, whether at the enrollment fair or online, Davis said. If you're a current district family, visit If you're new to the district, visit MPS offers programs including bilingual education, arts, language immersion, Montessori, technology and traditional classrooms. There will be a separate open house for those interested in MPS Montessori schools, from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 8, at Macdowell Montessori School, 6415 W. Mount Vernon Ave., Milwaukee. For more information, visit The event starts at 9 a.m. and runs until noon. The fair will allow interested families to find the schools and programs best for their child, learn about transportation and before- and after-school care, meet school leaders and teachers and learn about MPS family resources, careers and more. Interpreters are also available, according to information on the MPS website. Davis said that, in addition to stations where you can enroll your kids, there will be opportunities for vaccinations to make it convenient for families to meet requirements. For more information, visit Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Learn more about MPS kindergarten enrollment
