AB 615

Under current law, a 1st class city school district (currently only the Milwaukee

Public Schools, or MPS) is governed by an elected board of school directors. The

board consists of nine members, eight of whom are elected from numbered election

districts and one of whom is elected at large. Members are elected at the spring

election and serve four-year terms. The board appoints the superintendent of

schools. The board may remove the superintendent of schools for a misdemeanor in

office, incompetency, or inattention to the duties of office.

This bill directs the mayor of the city of Milwaukee to appoint a superintendent

of schools to serve at the mayor's pleasure. Under the bill, the superintendent of

schools is in charge of MPS and most of the powers and duties of the board of school

directors are transferred to the superintendent of schools, including the

appointment of all staff, the formulation of the annual school budget, collective

bargaining, school closings, and the determination of the school calendar. The board

retains the authority to expel pupils from school, although the bill transfers the

authority to suspend pupils to the superintendent of schools. In addition, the bill

allows the superintendent, in any school year, to permit an independent hearing

panel or officer appointed by the superintendent to determine pupil expulsion

instead of the board. The board, however, still hears appeals of expulsion orders.

The bill provides that the city attorney is the legal advisor to the

superintendent of schools, although the superintendent may retain an attorney

under certain circumstances. The board may retain an attorney only if the city

attorney approves.

The bill prohibits the superintendent of schools from entering into a contract

with an organization that is not a labor organization if the contract specifies the

wages, hours, or conditions of employment of any school district employees. A labor

organization is an employee organization that exists for the purpose of collective

bargaining with municipal employees.

The bill creates a budget committee to advise the superintendent of schools on

the formulation of the school budget. The committee consists of the city comptroller,

the president of the common council, the president of the board of school directors,

the state superintendent of public instruction, and three members appointed by the

mayor.

The bill requires that a binding referendum be held in the city of Milwaukee at

the April 2017 spring election. The question asked voters will be whether the board

of school directors shall be in charge of MPS and appoint the superintendent of

schools. If a majority of the voters vote "Yes," the board of school directors is once

again in charge of MPS, the term of the superintendent of schools appointed by the

mayor is terminated, and the board of school directors appoints a superintendent of

schools to act under the board's direction.

Beginning in the 2011-12 school year, the bill directs the state superintendent