When We Fight, We Win! MTEA Member Advocacy Improves 2026-27 MPS Budget
June 2, 2026
The MPS School Board approved the 2026-27 MPS budget Thursday night on an 8-1 vote with only Director Mimi Reza voting no. This budget was a contentious process from the start, requiring MTEA members to fight on multiple fronts to protect our public schools, students, workers and families from devastating cuts initially recommended by Superintendent Brenda Cassellius. Because of the organizing work of MTEA members, the budget was improved from its initial form to include multiple wins that MTEA members advocated for.
700+ Paraprofessionals and CHAs Have 40 Hours Restored; All Paras and CHAs Offered 40 Hours
After her “standard of care” document – the guidelines Superintendent Cassellius used to develop school budgets – initially called for more than 700 MPS Paraprofessionals and Children’s Health Assistants (CHAs) to have their hours slashed to 30 hours per week, MTEA members stood together to fight for our sisters and brothers performing these critical jobs.
Members endured months of uncertainty and chaos from the Superintendent and School Board members saying these cuts weren’t really happening despite budget analysts and principals throughout the district carrying out the directive to cut Para and CHA hours. The approved budget reverses these cuts, ensuring all Paraprofessionals and CHAs maintain their current hours. This is a huge win for MPS students and families and the economic stability of more than 700 public education workers who had been thrown into chaos by the superintendent’s original proposal.
The budget that passed Thursday night also allots 40 hours per week for every Paraprofessional and CHA who wants 40 hours. Paraprofessionals and CHAs who are currently working fewer than 40 hours may continue doing so if they wish. All future Paraprofessional and CHA hires will be 40 hour positions. This is an enormous, life-changing win for members, students and their families. Since 2018, MTEA has made consistent, incremental wins to claw back 40 hours for Paraprofessional and CHA members by seniority. This win would not have been possible without the work of MTEA over the past eight years and the advocacy of MTEA rank and file members.
Some Teacher and Paraprofessional Cuts Restored at Alternative High Schools
In her initial budget recommendations, the Superintendent cut multiple Teacher and Paraprofessional positions at Alternative High Schools including Project STAY, Groppi and Transitio
These proposed cuts would have done irreparable harm to a very successful model that helps students who have faced a variety of life challenges to earn credits and graduate from high school. MTEA advocated to Board members, and MTEA members in all three buildings organized to restore these positions and worked with their school-based administration to submit critical needs requests. Thanks to the organizing work of building leaders and rank and file MTEA members in these buildings, many important positions were restored.
At Project STAY, the budget initially cut four Paraprofessionals, cut school social worker time and cut the only remaining Para down from 40 hours. Two Para positions and one teacher position was restored.
At Groppi, one teacher and one 30 hour Para position were cut. The teacher position was restored by the budget.
At Transition, four of eight teachers were cut along with cuts to School Social Worker hours. Two of the Transition teacher positions were restored.
MHSA Theater and Dance Programs; Vincent Music Program Restored
The Superintendent’s initial budget proposal cut one Theater position and one Dance position at Milwaukee High School of the Arts (MHSA), and cut the music program at Vincent from five days to just one day per week. MTEA building leaders and rank and file members in these buildings once again stood together and organized their school communities, students and families to restore the MHSA Theater and Dance positions as well as the full-time music teacher position at Vincent.
Community Schools Restored in Budget
Another big win that MTEA fought for was the restoration of Community Schools in MPS. Last year, shortly before Superintendent Cassellius was hired, United Way dropped out of MPS Community Schools, leaving these 16 schools without coordinators. At the time, Cassellius claimed the work of Community School Coordinators could be done by Parent Coordinators and School Social Workers – in addition to their already full-time roles.
Votes were held in each of the 16 buildings over a three day period last year. Workers at every Community School overwhelmingly said that they wanted to continue to operate as a Community School.
At Thursday’s Board meeting, the school board approved a budget that includes eight full-time Community School Coordinator positions.
MTEA will continue to organize to add eight additional positions at October budget adjustments so each of the 16 Community Schools has its own dedicated Community Schools Coordinator as in the past. There is likely to be plenty of money in October because the Superintendent’s plan to hire hundreds of new teachers to reduce class sizes is unlikely to come to fruition, leaving budgeted dollars available to fully staff the Community Schools program.
Restoring the Community Schools program is an extremely important win for MTEA and for MPS. After an attempted takeover by the state legislature, MTEA, MPS Administration and the MPS School Board started a 10-year commitment to Community Schools in 2016 and we will not just walk away from that commitment to students and families.
In 2025, MTEA and MPS came to a meet and confer agreement to partner on student recruitment efforts to build enrollment at 10 schools, three of which are former Community Schools – King Elementary, Lincoln Avenue and Longfellow. Being able to identify schools as Community Schools will be important as we talk to families about enrolling their children in public schools. The shared leadership, cultural responsiveness and equity-focused mission of Community Schools are appealing to families, and we look forward to canvassing neighborhoods, talking to families and welcoming new students into our buildings.
Budget Includes Less-Than-Full COLA, Step and Lane Movement, No Cuts to Healthcare
The budget approved by the school board last night included the less-than-full cost of living adjustment (COLA) that was forced onto workers after Administration failed to bargain with MTEA in good faith. MTEA never agreed to the COLA plan that has been imposed on workers. All workers will receive a 1.5% base wage adjustment on July 1, 2026 and an additional 1.13% on January 1, 2027. While all members’ wages and salaries will increase by 2.63% by the end of the 2026-27 school year, because nearly half of COLA is being delayed, workers will lose out on hundreds of dollars compared to a full 2.63% COLA on July 1.
MTEA was able to secure salary schedule steps and lanes for all eligible workers. The budget also includes no cuts to healthcare for all MTEA workers. These two items are big financial wins for our members, despite Administration’s forced less-than-full COLA from July 1 through January 1.
While this budget did not provide the full COLA on July 1 that all MTEA members have earned, we once again proved that when we stand together and fight for our students, our fellow members and our community, we can earn substantial wins that will benefit our public schools for years to come.
