Research and Analysis
Empty Handed: How Milwaukee Thwarted a State Law Meant to Help Schools
October 13, 2020 | Libby Sobic
This policy brief reveals how a state law passed in 2015 intended to make vacant Milwaukee schools available to charter and private schools has been thwarted by local actors. Just one vacant Milwaukee school was sold to a Milwaukee charter school in the last five years despite the intent of a state law intended to facilitate sales.
What Goes Around, Comes Around: How MPS and Milwaukee’s Failure to Sell Vacant School Buildings Has Contributed to the District’s Budget Deficit
January 23, 2018 | Will Flanders and Natalie Goodnow
The study provides an updated and comprehensive look at the vacant and underutilized schools issue by using new and previously unreported documents obtained by WILL, including a facilities report conducted by an outside consultant, for which MPS paid nearly one million dollars.
The Never-Ending Story of Milwaukee’s Vacant School Buildings
March 10, 2017 | CJ Szafir and Libby Sobic
A new WILL report explains how the City of Milwaukee is failing to follow state law, preserving the never-ending vacant school building crisis. In total, Milwaukee has at least 15 empty school buildings and taxpayers have spent over $10.2 million on maintenance for empty buildings in the last decade.
Why the State of Wisconsin Forced Coca-Cola to Sell to Pepsi
August 12, 2015 | Rick Esenberg, CJ Szafir, and Elena Ramlow
In 2015, the state legislature passed a law to force Milwaukee to sell their unused and underutilized school buildings. In WILL’s latest report, “Why the State of Wisconsin Forced Coca-Cola to sell to Pepsi”, we explain how this new law works – and why the state was forced to intervene.
MPS and the City of Milwaukee Ignore State Law and Policy
September 5, 2013 | CJ Szafir
Based on a MPS open records request, WILL concludes that the City of Milwaukee’s policy of giving Milwaukee Public Schools the authority to designate and sell or lease its unused school buildings is a failure and violates the spirit of state law, 2011 Act 17.
Media and Commentary
Center Square | Milwaukee Public Schools played shell game to keep empty buildings
October 14, 2020 | Ben Yount
Wall Street Journal | This Building Is for Sale (but Not to a Charter School)
November 9, 2018 | CJ Szafir and Cori Petersen
Wall Street Journal | Milwaukee’s Public School Barricade
August 13, 2018 | Editorial Board
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Military-style voucher school denied vacant building
October 6, 2016 | Annysa Johnson and Erin Richards
Wall Street Journal | The Vacant School Buildings That Made Milwaukee Infamous
January 24, 2014 | CJ Szafir
