The problems with MPS reporting their financial data go back far longer than anyone has previously reported.

Yesterday we ran a perspectives piece that included this nugget of information regarding the connections between MPS and Milwaukee City Government

Oh and the data that DPI says MPS has failed to properly submit since September? The District is supposed to send that to the City of Milwaukee first. Did they? Have they ever done this?

Does Hess know this? Has she asked the City Clerk if such a report is on file? Has any mainstream reporter?

Wis Stats 119.44  Board report. (1)  The board shall file its annual financial report with the city clerk and shall send a copy of the report to the state superintendent.

(2) Annually at such times as the department prescribes but on or before September 1, the board shall file a verified annual report with the department, on forms supplied by the department. The annual report shall contain all of the following:

(a) Prior school year attendance data, including all of the following categorized by school, grade, gender and ethnicity:

1. The number of children:

a. Attending a technical college under s. 118.15 (1) (b) or (cm).

b. Excused from school attendance under s. 118.15 (1) (c).

c. Provided each of the program or curriculum modifications under s. 118.15 (1) (d).

2.

a. The number of pupils suspended, the number of suspensions and the total number of school days missed as a result of suspensions under s. 120.13 (1) (b).

b. The number of pupils expelled, the number of expulsions and the total number of school days missed as a result of expulsions under s. 120.13 (1) (c).

3. The number of pupils transferred by the school board to a different school in the same school district.

4. The high school graduation rate.

5.

a. The number of pupils enrolled in each school transferred to the superintendent of schools opportunity schools and partnership program under s. 119.33, as reported by the superintendent of schools in the enrollment report submitted under s. 119.33 (2) (b) 5.

b. The number of pupils enrolled in each school transferred to the opportunity schools and partnership program under subch. II, as reported by the commissioner in the enrollment report submitted under s. 119.9002 (2) (f).

(b) Scores of the standardized reading tests administered to pupils during the prior school year under s. 121.02 (1) (r), categorized by school, gender and ethnicity.

(bm) The performance of pupils on the assessments administered during the prior school year under s. 118.016 (3), categorized by school, gender, and ethnicity.

NOTE: Par. (bm) is created eff. 7-1-24 by 2023 Wis. Act 20.

(c) The information specified under s. 120.18 (1) (gm) and (i).

(d) The information specified under s. 120.18 (1) (a).

(3) Rules promulgated under s. 120.18 (3) apply to the information reported under sub. (2).

History: 1987 a. 333; 1989 a. 31, 290; 1993 a. 16, 223, 399, 491; 1995 a. 27 s. 9145 (1); 1997 a. 27; 2015 a. 55; 2023 a. 20.

This morning, the Milwaukee City Clerk informs us that MPS has not complied with this state-mandated requirement.

We asked “Per your records, has your office ever received annual financial reports from MPS? When was the last report submitted?”

Milwaukee City Clerk Jim Owczarski replied, in part:

My answer (speaking only for the Clerk’s office) is:

Our holdings, per the Municipal Research Library:

Titled “Annual Financial Report”: 1975-76 through 1983-84

Titled “Comprehensive Annual Financial Report”: 1984-85 through 1998-99, and 2003-04. Nothing since.

So MPS is not in compliance with state law. Hasn’t been for decades.