Milwaukee Public Schools will operate with a $1.5 billion budget for the FY26 school year following a unanimous school board vote. According to WISN, board members Darryl Jackson and Mimi Reza initially raised concerns about the $240 million community referendum passed in 2024. They later supported the budget after Superintendent Brenda Cassellius committed to continued community engagement and further budget adjustments by the district’s October deadline.
Cassellius said the budgeting process next year will be more participatory and that changes requested by board members will be addressed once state funding is confirmed, as reported by JSOnline. Since she started in mid-March, the budget has focused on providing consistent resources across schools. It includes plans to improve literacy instruction, reduce student absenteeism, increase family engagement, restructure Central Services, and speed up teacher hiring, as per FOX6Now.
Milwaukee Public Schools has set aside $16 million in its new budget for lead cleanup and improving sanitary conditions in school buildings. Board members Jackson and Reza were initially hesitant about the spending, but recent commitments to facility maintenance helped ease concerns. "We will be cleaning all our schools this summer," Superintendent Cassellius told WISN. "That's just something I'm not going to tolerate." Students spoke at the board meeting about the need for mental health support, updated learning materials, and cleaner schools. Rufus King freshman Zhai'kieriah Lucas said, "These schools are nasty and dirty every day. You say the money is to help our schools but our schools aren't getting any better." The district plans to address these issues in the coming school year.
