MPS parents discuss possible school closures and mergers

MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee Public Schools has released its Long-Term Facilities Master Plan update ahead of its Oct. 29 board meeting.

Some schools may experience mergers or closures in the coming years as MPS addresses aging buildings and declining enrollment.

“If this stops, I don’t even know what our next step would be,” MPS parent Ashley Hines said.

Watch: MPS parents discuss possible school closures and mergers

‘It’s going to affect us’: MPS parents discuss possible school closures and mergers

Hines has a son who attends Sherman School. It is a building on the list for possible closure and merger.

“If they close something like this, it’s going to impact us. It’s just that,” Hines said.

The list is not definitive. According to MPS, these thirteen schools could face a merger or closure from 2026.

Cluster 1:
-Brown Street Academy
-Clarke Street Academy
-Siefertschool
-Starms Discovery Learning Centre

Cluster 2:
-Auer Avenue School
-Hopkins Llyod Community School
-Jackson Elementary School

Cluster 3:
-Dr. George Washington Carver Academy
– Oliver Wendell Holmes School

Cluster 4:
-Andrew S. Douglas High School
-Keefe Avenue School
-Robert M. LaFollette School

Cluster 5:
-William T. Sherman School

Parents told TMJ4’s Megan Lee that they were hearing rumors about schools possibly closing.

“It’s kind of hard to hear that this is happening,” MPS parent Denise Caldwell said.

Caldwell worried her son’s school, Lincoln Center of the Arts, would be on the list. But it isn’t.

According to MPS, the list of closures and mergers was determined based on data and community feedback.

“Some of those were building capacity, building condition and usage, with these buildings being located throughout the city,” said Eduardo Galvan, interim superintendent of MPS.

Galvan was not available until the updated plan was made public.

“We don’t want anyone to be concerned, this is just a consideration based on initial data,” Galvan explains.

He said the plan is not yet final and changes could happen when it is presented to the school board next week.

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