MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius is wrapping up her first week on the job as the new leader of the largest school district in the state.

Cassellius said she is the right person for this job.

“I’m a problem solver. And I always put kids center,” she said.

What You Need To Know

  • New Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius is wrapping up her first week on the job

  • She sat down for a one-on-one interview with Spectrum News to address the challenges MPS is facing and how she plans to tackle them

  • Cassellius said she will always put kids at the center of her decisions

  • In addition to developing programs to attract and retain teachers, Cassellius is looking to develop a strong leadership team by summer

When asked what makes her the right person for this job, Cassellius said, “I’m a problem solver. And I always put kids center.”

A top priority for Cassellius is handling the lead dangers found in multiple schools over the past six weeks.

“We anticipate that we will find more in our schools. The average age of a Milwaukee public school is 85 years,” said Cassellius.

Cassellius said her first district hire will focus solely on the lead crisis. Each of MPS’ 156 schools will be inspected for the toxic substance. The cost for inspections is unclear.

“But I know that our custodial staff, our engineers are getting underneath it and they’re working with the state experts. They’re working with the city experts on the remediation plans,” said Cassellius.

Cassellius also wants to fill key administration positions by summer.

This past year, MPS was months late submitting paperwork that put state funding in jeopardy. The district and city also missed school resource officer deadlines.

“So, what I’m doing is hiring a search firm who will go and look for the best internal and external,” said Cassellius.

(Spectrum News 1/Alyson Bruner)

She said she also plans to develop internal MPS programs to attract and retain more teachers and principals.

“Then working with higher education programs for teacher licensure. Those are really important programs to be part of,” said Cassellius. “You partner with others throughout the community to be able to get more teachers on the recruitment side. Of course, you can also use bonuses and incentives and other things like that.”

At the end of the day, she acknowledged it’s all about shrinking achievement gaps, improving test scores and raising graduation rates, which starts with supporting students.

“That they feel connected at school. That they have a best friend at school, and they want to come because kids, you know, don’t always come for the academics. They come for their friends, right? So, we want to make sure there are great activities and great options for them,” said Cassellius.

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