Milwaukee Public Schools Spending More Next Year

Despite the misleading, fraudulent headling in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel today, the truth is that Milwaukee Public Schools will be spending more taxpayer money next school year. JSOnline reported: “MPS cuts spending, spends stimulus.” The truth is that MPS is not cutting spending, it’s increasing spending.

Last year’s budget was $1.2 billion. The budget for this year is $1.3 billion. But you won’t hear the media reporting that.

Here’s how taxpayers are being deceived. The “regular” budget of $1.2 billion is $10 million less than last year. The school district, however, is going to be spending almost $100 million in “federal stimulus” money, making the total budget $1.3 billion. Someone apparently thinks that spending $100 million of federal money (coming from taxpayers, incidentally) doesn’t count, so the district is spending less. The truth is they’re spending about 8% more.

Why is the media lying about the spending of MPS? The liberal agenda regarding the schools is always about money, and nothing else. The claim is constantly made that more money would mean better education, but the district has been spending more and more money each year without any substantive improvement in education.

Last year the district spent more than $14,000 per child. This year the figure will be around $15,500 per child. Quite the bargain when you consider only 39% of 10th graders can read and 29% of them can do math.