Milwaukee schools plan cuts as budget crisis deepens

Milwaukee Public Schools will eliminate about 201 non-classroom positions to address a $46 million budget deficit for the 2026-27 school year.[1][3][5] The Milwaukee Board of School Directors approved a plan on March 9 to cut 263 roles overall, with the final tally reduced by retirements and vacancies, saving roughly $30 million while sparing teachers, counselors, nurses, and psychologists.[1][4] Superintendent Brenda Cassellius announced the details on March 25, emphasizing the moves protect classroom instruction amid declining enrollment and flat state funding.[1][3]

The deficit stems from recent financial audits revealing overspending on nutrition, transportation, and other costs, despite MPS receiving top per-pupil funding in Wisconsin from property taxes and state aid.[3][4][6] The district already imposed a soft hiring freeze and cut $5 million in contracts for the current year, but faces a projected $420 million cumulative shortfall by 2030-31 without further changes.[4][6] Unions have pushed back against the layoffs, which target central office staff, implementers, and assistant principals, while MPS offers job support and internal postings starting April 1.[2][5]

For Milwaukee families, these cuts heighten pressure on an already strained system, potentially impacting school support services and class sizes—now targeted at 18-22 students per teacher in early grades—amid property tax burdens that fund over $1.6 billion in MPS spending.[1][3][6] Parents worry about safety and discipline without deans and assistant principals, even as officials prioritize classrooms.[7]

MPS will present its full 2026-27 budget in May and continue bargaining with unions, while advocating for more state revenue from the surplus.[3][4]