Posted: Aug. 21, 2009
Two leading Latino organizations voiced support for the takeover of Milwaukee Public Schools proposed by Gov. Jim Doyle and Mayor Tom Barrett, while nearly 150 people
rallied against the plan Friday at a north side church.
Darryl D. Morin, Wisconsin director of the League of United Latin American Citizens,
said his organization spent the last two years holding seminars on local educational
issues and decided to endorse the proposal after evaluating various options.
But he also called for a mandatory reauthorization for the takeover so that voters
could determine whether the new system is working.
"There's an educational crisis in Milwaukee, and the primary question is how long
will we wait," he said. "It's time to rise up together and say now is the time. Milwaukee can't afford to fail its future."
He was joined by Maria Monreal-Cameron, president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce of Wisconsin, who said the city stands at a crossroads.
"We need to try something different because the current educational system is broken,
and we need to fix it," she said.
Their endorsement of the proposed takeover is the first organized public support for
the plan, which has drawn fire from many, including School Board President Michael
Bonds. Bonds drew cheers at the rally at Parklawn Assembly of God in the Sherman
Park neighborhood, where he called the proposal a "war on public education."
He also said a change in governance structure is not required for the district to claim
some of the $4.5 billion in competitive "Race to the Top" funds announced recently by
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
"This is a statewide application, but Milwaukee is the only city in the state where
(a takeover) is being proposed," he said.
Other speakers drew applause by calling the plan a power play for control of federal
money and an attempt to disenfranchise voters.
"This is a very, very dangerous precedent we are setting," 14th District Ald. Tony
Zielinski said.
Meanwhile, Rosa Rosales of San Antonio, Texas, the national president of LULAC who
was in town for a national board meeting, also backed the takeover proposal.
She added, however, that LULAC strongly supports public schools.
"Education is a liberating force," she said. But she added that Latinos have the
nation's highest dropout rate and the highest illiteracy rate, and that disparities and discrimination in education need to be addressed.
"All children deserve a quality education. It's not a privilege, it's a right," she said.
"We can't continue to let politics, turf battles and other differences divide us."
Morin said Duncan believes in mayoral leadership in failing urban school systems
because it provides stability. That kind of reform also could help the district capture
some of the "Race to the Top" programs, he said.
Bonds has characterized the proposed takeover as racist. The Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association also has criticized the proposed takeover.
But Morin said school board elections have very low turnout and most voters don't
know who represents them on the board. In contrast, mayors are elected citywide
with bigger voter turnout. School Board member Terrence Falk, however, said the plan shows a lack of faith in district voters.
"They're treating you like children," he said at the rally.
Myra Edwards, an aide to Barrett on education, also attended a LULAC news conference. For decades, she said, there has been a disparity in achievement among children of color that reflects a "level of institutional racism."
Seeking diversity
Morin and Monreal-Cameron said they also want to see more diverse representation
in the state Department of Education and the MPS administration because there are no Latinos in leadership or decision-making posts at the state or local level.
State Rep. Pedro Colón (D-Milwaukee), who represents the heavily Latino south side,
said he is open to the proposed takeover. Another factor hurting MPS is open enrollment,
he said. When more students from the city attend public schools in the suburbs, suburban school districts benefit financially at the expense of MPS, Colón said.
Journal Sentinel reporter Georgia Pabst tracks the Latino community in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and beyond.