MPS teachers outraged over administrative pay raises

“While the MPS Administration showers money on MPS administrators, classroom educators, saddled with increasing demands, are asked to take a step back in pay this year. Educators won’t even receive pay increases to keep up with the cost of inflation.”

– Kim Schroeder, President of Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association (MTEA)

Over $100,000 in pay raises were approved to 23 individuals in top positions of the MPS administration. The largest pay raise to one individual was $17,600.

Milwaukee School Board member Terry Falk explained that none of the raises were officially reported to the school board.

“This information was provided to the school board through an investigation conducted by Milwaukee Public Schools’ Office of Accountability and Efficiency (OAE), an office established by the school board and independent of the administration,” said Falk. “A whistleblower contacted the OAE office which triggered the investigation.”

The school board is not needed to approve raises if they are 10% or less and are a result of the reclassification of individuals. But board policy specifies that reclassifications must be reported to the board, a requirement confirmed by the city attorney’s office, and in this case that did not happen.

“Milwaukee educators are outraged to hear the news of excessive pay raises to some of the highest paid MPS administrators while our students suffer,” said Schroeder. “It is unconscionable that the same individuals who crafted a budget increasing class sizes and reducing the number of school counselors, social workers, and librarians handed out hefty backdoor raises to the most highly paid administrators in the District.”

The original pay raise investigation that was triggered by a whistleblower’s complaint is not part of 23 unreported pay raises discovered by OAE. That complaint is still under investigation, and OAE is continuing to investigate whether other additional pay raises did not follow board policy.

“The public has a right to know these facts. Now we must have a conversation on how to move forward,” added Falk. “The board is asking the right questions and exercising its proper legal responsibility for oversight.”