Governor should appoint Special Master, step toward new governance
By Mark Lisheron
Gov. Tony Evers, a former state Superintendent of Public Instruction, has a unique opportunity given his skill set to take charge of the Milwaukee Public Schools, a former MPS superintendent said.
Bill Andrekopoulos, MPS superintendent for eight years until his retirement in 2010, an educator in the district for 38, said that unless the school district was willing to yield completely to outside reform, nothing — not the financial bungling or low student performance — would change.
The governor, Andrekopoulos said, ought to appoint a Special Master, who would create an advisory panel of, maybe, seven members to run MPS for three to five years. The panel would then decide on a new structure for the district, perhaps giving responsibility to the mayor of Milwaukee. The mayor could then appoint community stakeholder board members.
“One of the things that has never been disrupted in at least 40 years is the governance of MPS and it’s time to be disrupted for the benefit of the kids and the community,” Andrekopoulos told the Badger Institute in a wide-ranging interview. “The governor, the legislative leaders, the mayor, the Common Council president and the MMAC have an opportunity to make significant changes to the governance structure of MPS. It’s time for a higher authority to intervene.”
