Milwaukee Public Schools officials have chosen the district’s next leader.
MPS’s board of directors announced their pick for superintendent Tuesday night following an hourslong closed session. The board selected Dr. Brenda Cassellius from three finalists, a group that also included Dr. Joshua Starr, former Superintendent for Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, and Dr. Andraé Townsel, who is the current Superintendent for Calvert County Public Schools in Maryland.
Cassellius started her career as a special education paraprofessional and teacher in Minnesota before serving as Minnesota’s state commissioner of education for eight years.
She then worked as superintendent of Boston Public Schools from 2019 to 2022 before moving to the energy sector. She had a hand in reworking that district's exam school admissions policy in the summer of 2021, according to reporting from NPR member station WBUR in Boston. Supporters of the overhaul said the changes to exam schools improved equity across the district.
Cassellius shared what she’s learned about MPS at a meet-and-greet event with the community last Thursday.
"So what I’ve learned that Milwaukee parents want is higher academic achievement," she said. "They want their kids to be in safe and welcoming schools. That means that they want to know that the adults have their best interests at heart, and that they are prepared and have everything they need to get the job done.
"They want someone who is going to be a truth teller," Cassellius added. "To make the hard decisions and stand up for their kids.”
Can Cassellius bring stability to MPS?
Cassellius will take over a school district that has not had a permanent superintendent since June, when Keith Posely resigned from the post amid allegations of mismanagement. Last year, MPS was months late submitting required financial reports to the state. Some information submitted was incorrect, resulting in a projected loss of $43 million in aid from the state this school year.
Now, Cassellius will need to tighten up the financial practices in the district in order to inspire the trust of Milwaukee voters, who last year approved an increase to property taxes that will raise $252 million for MPS schools.
Cassellius said she hopes to prioritize schools with the greatest needs and highest levels of poverty for direct support from referendum funding.
"With putting together a budget, particularly if you have a large referendum and the influx of new funding, there’s going to be different opinions about where that money should go," she said. "And I think that it’s important to get that money to the students and get it to the classroom, rather than to district office services, for instance. It's important that every dollar goes first to students and to the classroom."
What's next for the new MPS superintendent?
Next, the school board of directors will perform a background check and negotiate a contract with Cassellius.
The board needs to approve Cassellius’ contract by June 26.
