Read the K-12 Omnibus Motion, authored by Sen. Darling (R-River Hills) and Rep. Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield) scheduled to pass this week. I am crying out to the public to get vocal now.

Our Milwaukee community will not let private school operators steal public school dollars (that belong to children in the highest poverty, most racially segregated and unachieving schools). The budget allocations for "private school choice program expansion" for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years respectively are $18,400,000 and $29,400,000.

Our Milwaukee children of low-income backgrounds in high-crime neighborhoods have rights. Our Milwaukee community, our Wisconsin community and our USA community need to stand up for our over 80,000 MPS students. 85 percent or our MPS children live in poverty. We will not reduce the teaching qualifications in underperforming schools to "specify that an individual granted a teaching license under this provision would not be required to possess a bachelor's degree" (p. 25, Public Instruction, K-12 Omnibus Motion #457, Sen. Darling).

We will not replace democracy with totalitarianism by disempowering our elected School Board's right to govern our lowest performing schools with our most underperforming MPS student populations by "creating an Opportunity Schools and Partnership Program (OSPP) within Milwaukee Public Schools under the management and control of a Commissioner. Provide that the Commissioner shall exercise the powers, duties, and functions prescribed by law independently of the MPS Board ... provide that the County Executive would establish the salary for the Commissioner ... require that the State Superintendent, by Oct. 15, 2015, and annually thereafter, to submit a report to the Commissioner that identifies the schools in Milwaukee county that are operated by a school district that has received the lowest rating on the most recent school district accountability report or was identified as a vacant or underutilized building" (pages 15-16, Public Instruction: K-12 Omnibus Motion, Senator Darling). 

Our Milwaukee public property is not for sale to private operators! We will not give anyone the exclusive power to "require the Board to transfer to the Commissioner the possession, care, control, and management of all land, buildings, facilities, and other property that is part of the school being transferred immediately upon the transfer of a public school to the OSPP (Opportunity Schools and Partnership Program)" (p. 25, Public Instruction: K-12 Omnibus Motion #457, Sen. Darling). 

Our Milwaukee community will not allow for an attack on our MPS teacher's rights. More than 60 percent of our MPS teachers are in their first one to two years of teaching, and they enter schools with a 10 percent math and proficiency rate to help children learn, knowing that it would take a student-teacher ratio of three-to-one to close the achievement gap for these underserviced students in schools documented to have the fewest resources, parental support and community program opportunities.

In the K-12 Omnibus Motion, the "Commissioner may select, hire staff, employ and terminate staff if appropriate. Require the Commissioner to determine the compensation, duties, and qualifications of staff. Provide that if the Commissioner transfers a school to the OSPP, he or she may reassign the school's staff members out of the school without regard to seniority or service. Require the Commissioner to terminate all employees of the school who are MPS employees and require any individual seeking to remain employed at the school to reapply for employment at the school. Specify that the employees of the OSPP (Opportunity Schools and Partnerships Program) are not employees of the MPS Board" (p. 18, Public Instruction: K-12 Omnibus Motion, Sen. Darling). 

Demonstrate! This Public Instruction: K-12 Omnibus Motion is scheduled to pass this week!