Group lines up hopefuls for MPS board
With departures and a vacancy, five of the nine seats on the Milwaukee Public Schools’ Board of Directors will be on the ballot when voters go to the polls this spring.
In all, 11 candidates are running, including several parents, union and community activists, and current and former educators.
Five are campaigning in a loosely organized slate, with four of them recruited by the Wisconsin arm of the Working Families Party, a national coalition of progressive organizations that has become increasingly influential in seating left-leaning candidates across the country.
“We want to elect education champions,” said Rebecca Lynch, interim director of the nonprofit group, which helped elect three board members in 2017, including newcomer Tony Baez.
“It’s not just about voting in a way that supports public schools. It’s about electing people who are deeply connected to schools and the community, who will be vigorous advocates ... and use their bully pulpit to go to Madison and tell them what Milwaukee needs.”
Three board members are not seeking
re-election: Board President Mark Sain in the 1st District, Carol Voss in the 8th and Terry Falk in the at-large seat. The 3rd District seat vacated by Michael Bonds last year also is up for grabs.
Voters will go to the polls April 2, with a Feb. 19 primary to whittle down the District 8 field from three candidates to two.
Here’s an initial overview of those races:
At-large seat
In what is likely to be one of the most high-profile races, retired MPS teacher and former teachers union president Bob Peterson and longtime volunteer and parent-advocate Stefanie Dugan are vying for the seat now held by Falk. Falk served two terms on the board, first in District 8, then in the at-large seat.
District 1
MPS parent, advocate and former voucher school teacher Shyla Deacon will face off against Marva Herndon, a retired computer programmer wellknown for her work advocating for public schools and efforts to stem the growth of private voucher and independent charter schools. Sain has endorsed Deacon for the seat.
District 2
Retired MPS teacher Erika Siemsen is looking to unseat first-term incumbent Wendell Harris.
District 3
Vying for the seat vacated by Bonds are Milwaukee County Supervisor Sequanna Taylor and Catrina Crane, an MPS parent who works as director of workforce and business solutions for Menomonee Valley Partners.
District 8
And running for Voss’ seat are MPS parent and activist Megan O’Halloran, Montessori teacher and MPS parent Kathryn Gabor, and former MPS teacher and community activist Derek Beyer.
Peterson has, by far, the deepest pockets, raising more than $21,200, according to his campaign finance report filed this month. Five others who filed by the deadline raised between $116 (Gabor) and $5,154 (O’Halloran).
Working Families and the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association are throwing their support behind Peterson, Herndon, Siemsen, Taylor and O’Halloran.
Opponents are touting their own endorsements, including Deacon, who is supported by Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton, 9th District Ald. Chantia Lewis and school board member Larry Miller. Dugan has the backing of the AFSCME People Committee.
Harris, who was supported by the teachers union in 2014, is expected to lose that backing this round because of his support for Carmen School of Science and Technology.
Working Families Party influence
With Baez and Phillips elected in 2017, a sweep by its candidates would give the Working Families Party significant influence with the board. The party supports a host of progressive issues, including a living wage, racial and social justice and universal health care.
It also opposes any privatization of public schools through vouchers and charters not operated by public schools. That would likely shape board posture in negotiations with charter operators, some of whom have not delivered on the successes they projected.
The election comes at a difficult time for MPS, which has struggled for years with declining enrollment, a system of aging buildings mismatched to its needs, squeezed budgets and projected deficits ranging from $13.4 million to $108.5 million over the next five years. But it also follows the election of Gov. Tony Evers, who has vowed to make public education a priority.
And that, said Lynch of the Working Families Party, could have a huge impact on Milwaukee Public Schools: “For the first time, we are approaching a cycle of school board elections with a pro-public-education governor in office. And we see incredible potential for putting more money in the classroom.”