The release of the so-called "McKinsey Report" earlier this month has revived the debate about mayoral control of Milwaukee public schools, or some other form of governance that would replace the present school board. Generally such proposals have been framed in an either/or, all or nothing form. Either the mayor would take over or the present structure would be left unchanged.
Less remarked upon is that we have had a sort of creeping takeover for some time. The flow of federal funds through the Department of Public Instruction, the push by the Obama administration to use stimulus money to reform public education, the federal law's expectations for improved reading and math scores, and the special education lawsuit all shift power away from the MPS board.
Thus the tools exist for a potential power shift. If the promised "MPS Innovation and Improvement Council" comes up with a sensible plan that the various non-MPS stakeholders sign on to, it is likely that the MPS administration and board will find it difficult to resists. But the makeup of the council becomes critical. One could easily envision a council chosen to reflect the various interest groups floating around MPS that could suffer the same ills as the board.
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