MPS names interim leader
Posley led school touted for education successes
Before moving into administration, Milwaukee Public Schools’ new interim superintendent led what was then one of the top schools in the state focusing on a program that stressed the basics — reading, writing and math — while employing high standards and strict discipline.
Keith Posley was principal of Clarke Street School in 2002 when thenPresident George W. Bush visited to tout its successes, particularly in educating poor children of color.
MPS declined a request to make Posley available to be interviewed on Friday. But his first official comments suggest his history at Clarke may inform his vision for his new role.
“I believe reading, math and writing need the intense focus of the entire district,” Posley said in a statement issued by the district. “Each child must possess a strong knowledge base in these critical areas.”
Posley, who oversees the district’s school administrators, was selected as interim superintendent by board members late Thursday after a round of closed-door interviews with candidates. He’ll assume the post in late May and work alongside Superintendent Darienne Driver until she leaves in July.
It is essentially a tryout, according to one board member who said Posley could be named to the permanent post, depending on how he fares in the interim.
School Board member Terry Falk said he believes Posley’s experience as a principal and his tenure in the district, serving under several superintendents, should be advantages as he works to improve the district’s overall dismal academic performance. In contrast, Driver had joined the district in 2012 and had never worked as a principal.
“One positive thing would be that he might have a better idea about what it takes to turn schools around ... and
how to develop principals to put in those positions,” Falk said.
Where Driver continued some of the initiatives of her predecessor, Gregory Thornton, he said Posley may prove “much more independent in terms of how he moves forward.”
Posley will confront a number of challenges in the new post: a looming $38.7 million budget deficit; declining enrollment and competition from charter and public schools; dismal academic performance at many of the districts 160 schools; reform-minded politicians in Madison; and a strained relationship with the local teachers union, which is pushing for better raises and no cuts in school-level budgets.
The Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association issued a statement Friday welcoming the transition, saying Driver “was operating from a mindset of despair” and that the district “need(s) leadership ... that will inspire aspiration and hope.”
Posley has worked in the district for 27 years and currently serves as chief school administration officer. A graduate of Tougaloo College in Mississippi, he was recruited by MPS out of college and spent his entire career in the district.
Posley worked his way through the ranks, from gym teacher to assistant principal to principal. He was promoted to central office in 2003, the year after the Bush visit to Clarke Street School.
He holds a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a doctorate in educational leadership from National Louis University.
Posley said in his statement that he appreciates the confidence of the board and that he believes the district is “headed in the right direction.”
“My initial focus is on a strong end to the school year, working with the board to achieve a balanced budget, and making sure there is a strong start to the new school year,” he said.
Driver is leaving in July to lead the United Way of Southeastern Michigan in Detroit.
Driver has led the district since 2014, the first woman to permanently hold that post. Like Posley, she was tapped from the MPS ranks, having joined the district as its chief innovation officer in 2012. In Milwaukee, Driver leads a $1.1 billion operation with about 10,000 employees. Her salary is about $255,000.