Press Release
Released: September14, 2009
Contact: Christine Neumann-Ortiz (414) 736-2835
Voces de la Frontera Opposes Mayoral Takeover of MPS
Voces de la Frontera, a Latino membership organization, that has mobilized the largest
marches in Wisconsin’s history, is opposed to the proposal to eliminate Milwaukee’s
school board and replace it with mayoral control.
As an organization that engages the Latino community in the electoral process as
well as representing members who have children in the Milwaukee Public School (MPS)
district; we do not believe that disenfranchising voters–most of them low-income,
people of color– is the correct strategy for improving student performance.
On the contrary, the answer to improving student performance is to reduce class
sizes, provide educators with the resources they need to help their students succeed,
and increase the district’s commitment to bilingual education and providing English
as a Second language instruction to non-native speakers.
Victoria Moreno, a member of Voces de la Frontera said, “We have had a positive
experience working with elected school board members who have been both responsive
to our concerns and willing to work with parents to try to address our concerns
with the MPS administration.”
Voces welcomes the Mayor’s interest in MPS and his commitment to improving academic
achievement. All of us, the Mayor, the Governor, the community, the school board,
and the state legislature need to work together to help our young people succeed.
Eliminating people’s right to choose their school board representatives does not
move us in this direction. It’s a diversion from true reform which involves how
our schools are funded and greater parental involvement in MPS decision-making.
