The governance, and election of members of the board of school directors, of a first class city school district, and tenure for school principals

This bill provides instead for the board of school directors to be elected on a nonpartisan ballot at the general (November) election. Under the bill, all members are elected from election districts that must be substantially equal in population.

To effect the change, the bill provides for the terms of the four members whose terms expire in April 2013, to expire in November 2012, and the terms of the five members who are elected to replace the five members whose terms expire in April 2011, to expire in November 2014. The bill provides for four new members to be elected for four-year terms at the general election in November 2012, and five new members to be elected for four-year terms at the general election in November 2014.

The bill provides for initial election districts to be drawn by the board of school directors in accordance with the 2010 federal decennial census.

Currently, a vacancy in the membership of the board of school directors in a first class city is filled by special election for the unexpired term. Under this bill, a vacancy may be filled by temporary appointment of the mayor until a special election can be held to fill the vacancy on a permanent basis. The bill provides, however, that the mayor must submit any temporary appointment to the board of school directors, which may reject the appointment with a vote of at least two-thirds of the current membership.

Currently, the board of school directors elects officers at its annual organizational meeting, which is held between the fourth Monday in April and the first Monday in May. This bill provides for the organizational meeting to be held between the first Monday in December and the third Monday in December, and provides for the officers elected at an organizational meeting to be held in the spring of 2012 to serve until an organizational meeting is held in December of 2012.

Governance Currently, a first class city school district is governed by a board of school directors. The board appoints the superintendent of schools, who is the administrative head of the school district.

This bill establishes a superintendent search advisory committee. The committee must select one applicant to recommend to the mayor and the board must select three applicants to recommend to the mayor. The mayor must select a candidate from the three recommended by the board to recommend to the board. The board must select a superintendent of schools from the three that it recommended to the mayor. The mayor may veto the board's selection. If he or she does so, the board may override the veto by a two-thirds vote of the board's membership.

Currently, the board of school directors formulates the school district budget and transmits it to the common council. The common council levies a property tax in the city equal to the amount required by the board.

This bill directs the common council, upon receipt of the board's budget, to transmit it to the mayor. If the state superintendent of public instruction has determined that MPS was in need of improvement for the previous four school years, the mayor may veto the budget in whole or in part. The board may override the mayor's veto by a two-thirds vote of the board's membership.

The bill directs the board of school directors to ensure that a school governance council is established for each school. Each council consists of parents of pupils enrolled in the school, the school principal, one pupil enrolled in the school in grade 6 or higher, one teacher or support staff member employed at the school, and at least one resident of the city who is not otherwise qualified to be a council member. The council may make recommendations for the improvement of school policies, curricula, and educational plans and the well-being of pupils. The council may also direct the school principal to attend a professional development and training program.

Other MPS changes The bill makes a number of other changes in the laws governing first class city school districts, including the following:

1. The bill establishes a partnership for success committee to foster collaboration between the school district and the city. The committee consists of the mayor, the president of the common council, the school board president, and the superintendent of schools. Within one year after the bill's effective date, the committee must develop a plan for addressing the unfunded liability of the school district.

2. The bill requires the board to create a parent involvement committee to handle parent issues and complaints and foster parental involvement in the schools.

3. The bill authorizes the board to grant tenure to school principals who are appointed after the bill's effective date and successfully complete two consecutive three-year contracts. The bill requires the board to establish a professional development and training program for principals and authorizes the board to direct principals to attend the program.

4. The bill requires the board to evaluate all school buildings and develop a master plan governing their use, repair, renovation, and demolition.

5. The bill directs the board to prepare a budget for each school. In addition, the board must submit quarterly financial reports to the state superintendent of public instruction, the joint committee on finance, the mayor, the city comptroller, and the personnel and finance committee of the common council. In addition, the board must post the reports on its Web site.

6. The bill requires the board to designate at least two schools as transition campuses and provide for the assignment of disruptive high school pupils to a transition campus.

7. The bill directs the board to work with the common council, community agencies, public agencies, and nonprofit charitable organizations to plan for the establishment of promise neighborhoods in the city in which various educational and social services would be available free of charge.

8. The bill provides that if the sales tax rate in the city of Milwaukee is increased for transit purposes, the fare for public transit for a public school pupil must be at least one-third less than the regular adult fare. The bill also requires the board to ensure that public school pupils enrolled in middle school are able to be transported to and from school via public transit at a reduced fare.

9. The bill requires the board to report to the common council any unsecured bonding authority allocated to the board under the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The bonding authority must be assigned to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) for reallocation to school districts in which all of the following apply: 1. at least 50 percent of the enrollment is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch; 2. the school board has identified schools requiring significant maintenance or improvements; and 3. the school board has proposed improvements to the schools that are cost-effective, technically feasible, and meet green building performance standards.

10. The bill directs the board to conduct a survey of parents of enrolled pupils and use it to develop or modify parent involvement and school improvement plans.

The board must also annually administer a survey to parents of pupils who were enrolled in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) and who are enrolling in a public school. Each private school participating in the MPCP must administer a survey to parents of pupils who were enrolled in public school and who are enrolling in the private school. The results must be submitted to DPI, the joint committee on finance, and appropriate standing committees of the legislature.

11. The bill requires the board to provide each 11th grade pupil with the opportunity to take the ACT test.

12. The bill requires the board to establish minimum standards for literacy and mathematics curricula.

13. The bill provides that if state or federal aid is available, the board may use the funds to reduce class size to no more than 20 in 9th grade classes. In addition, if state or federal aid is available, the board may fund a pilot program designed to develop innovative instructional programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.