Two Milwaukee charter school operators are making moves to leave the oversight umbrella of Milwaukee Public Schools, instead operating under the authority of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Milwaukee College Prep and Carmen Schools of Science & Technology have applied to UWM for authorization of some of their schools beginning in the next school year, after their current contracts with MPS are set to expire, public records show.
Charter schools, in order to exist under state law, must secure a contract from their local school board or certain other bodies, such as UWM. That body is expected to oversee the performance of the schools, only renewing contracts if the schools live up to their promises.
Rather than seek renewals from MPS, Carmen and Milwaukee College Prep are looking to primarily answer to UWM going forward. The financial impact to MPS is difficult to measure. As an authorizer, MPS collects fees from charter schools but also spends funds on services for those schools.
A 2018 Wisconsin Policy Forum analysis found MPS collected about $2,261 per Carmen student and used the funds to pay for district-wide services. It was difficult to tell if the funding matched the value of services that Carmen might have benefited from, the Forum found.
The move is not unexpected from Carmen, where leaders had warned they would likely cut ties with MPS at Carmen’s two southside schools if the district booted them from MPS-owned buildings, where Carmen schools were sharing crowded space with MPS-run schools. Those Carmen schools next fall will move into a new building Carmen is constructing itself — a $55 million project at 2005 W. Oklahoma Ave.
Carmen leaders received an initial approval from UWM Sept. 30, pending contract negotiations, UWM records show.
The transition means MPS will lose lease revenue from those schools: about $776,000 for the two campuses. But it also means MPS can recruit additional students for its own schools that will gain space in the buildings.
Separately, Carmen also operates a campus on the city’s northwest side. Carmen leaders are seeking to renew their contract with MPS for the Carmen Northwest campus, which is expected to continue leasing a MPS building. At a school board committee meeting Nov. 13, school board members expressed hesitation about renewing that contract, citing concerns about academic performance and ideological differences. The full school board is scheduled to vote on that contract Nov. 20.
Milwaukee College Prep to leave MPS, five years after it initially sought a separation
Meanwhile, Milwaukee College Prep appears to be entirely withdrawing from MPS, seeking authorization from UWM for all four of its campuses, records show. School leaders received an initial approval from UWM Sept. 30, allowing them to enter contract negotiations that are yet to be completed, according to UWM records.
Milwaukee College Prep Chief Executive Officer Alfred Keith also notified MPS in September that the school was withdrawing its intent to renew a contract with the district as it sought a transfer to another authorizer.
“This wasn’t an easy decision,” Keith wrote to Bridget Schock, who oversees contracted schools for MPS. “I have tremendous respect for you and the team, and I’ve truly valued the partnership we’ve had over the years.”
In their application to UWM, College Prep leaders noted they believed the transfer would strengthen long-term stability and “deepen alignment with a mission-aligned authorizer.”
Keith declined to answer questions from the Journal Sentinel.
The school, which has been authorized by MPS since 1999, previously had conflict with MPS in 2021, when the district denied MCP a bonus payment tied to standardized test results after testing had been canceled because of the pandemic.
Former College Prep CEO Robert Rauh argued the district should have awarded the payment based on testing earlier in the year. The school took the district to court.
At the time, Rauh said the school was going to switch authorizers, from MPS to UWM, because of souring relations. The school ultimately stayed with MPS after it became clear it could lose out on federal stimulus funds already allocated to the district. College Prep agreed to drop its lawsuit if the board approved a contract renewal, allowing the school to secure the federal funds.
That renewed contract expires at the end of the current school year.
School board members favor renewals for La Causa, Whittier and IDEAL
Also up for renewal with MPS this year are three other charter schools: Whittier Elementary School, IDEAL Charter School and La Causa Charter School.
Milwaukee School Board members Nov. 13 approved five-year renewals for all three schools. The agreements will also need to be approved by the full school board Nov. 20.
