MILWAUKEE — Gov. Tony Evers called for operational and instructional audits of Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). 

Evers’ proposed audits would offer a “more comprehensive review than the ongoing MPS audit.” That audit is only reviewing MPS’ financial statements.

“The purpose of the outstanding MPS audit is to examine the district’s finances for the sole purpose of meeting statutory reporting requirements. That audit is critically important, but it is not comprehensive,” Evers said. “I’m proposing today to go two steps further with two important goals: the first, to audit MPS’ programs and operations in their entirety, and the second, to audit the effectiveness of teaching and instruction of our kids in classrooms across the district.”

An operational audit would include reviewing and evaluating MPS’ systems, processes and procedures. It would then identify areas for improvement.

An instructional audit would include reviewing and analyzing MPS’ instructional practices, methodologies and policies. This could include, but would not be limited to, school and classroom learning environments, professional development policies and practices, curriculum implementation and leadership.

Evers said these audits would provide resources staff need to address immediate needs.

Evers’ proposed audit would be supported by federal funding. Those funds are available due to underspending of previous contracts as well as funding allocated for Milwaukee that has not been spent yet.

The audit would be overseen by Evers, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and state superintendent Jill Underly.

Evers explained that a similar process was done with MPS 15 years ago, but hasn’t been done since.

“For this to be successful, Milwaukee Public Schools must be at the table, and I’m asking for their partnership in supporting this important effort, and I am committed to engaging the Milwaukee community and stakeholders, including the folks most impacted — Milwaukee’s kids, families, and educators — throughout this process,” Evers said.

MPS said they would welcome the process. 

"The Board welcomes the funded audit and continued partnership expressed by Wisconsin State Governor Tony Evers today. We agree that what matters most in all of this is our kids," MPS said in a statement. 

His proposal comes after DPI said it could pull state funding after MPS failed to submit the required financial information. They were due nearly nine months ago.

Since then, the district’s superintendent resigned and the comptroller position subsequently became vacant.

On Thursday, DPI said that it will temporarily withhold MPS’ June special education aid funds. The district’s June 2024 Special Education Aid Payment amounts to $16,623,612. MPS said it knew beforehand this payment would likely be delayed. 

The school board has not revealed why the documents were not submitted on time. Officials said their main focus is working with DPI, an auditor and a financial consultant to get the work done.

“For any meaningful conversation about possible solutions to happen, the first step is to fully identify the extent of the problems. The audits I’m proposing today must be done to drive those future conversations,” Evers said.

MPS is the largest school district in the state. DPI explained that its financial records can impact funding for every other school district in Wisconsin.

Evers said he has been in contact with MPS and DPI and encouraged them to work together to find a solution fast.

“I know from experience the challenges facing our state’s largest school district, including our kids and teachers. What Milwaukee needs right now is leaders who will step up and support helping get MPS back on track, and that’s what the governor is calling for today,” said State Rep. Chris Sinicki (D-Milwaukee) and former member of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors. “I’m grateful to Gov. Evers for his leadership and getting involved, and I encourage MPS leadership and community partners to support the governor’s proposal so these audits can be completed and we can have all of the information that we need in order to start talking about solutions to fix these problems.”

“Everyone needs to check politics at the door, first and foremost,” said State Sen. LaTonya Johnson, D-Milwaukee. “Parents and families and educators in my district want answers, and people are tired of feeling like they aren’t being heard or listened to. With the audits Gov. Evers is calling for, the public will have more information and finally get more transparency to understand what happened so our community can make informed decisions about what should happen next. We can’t move forward until we have all of the information.”