Milwaukee Public Schools moves to close $46 million gap by eliminating 263 nonclassroom jobs next year
Budget plan targets central office and nonteaching school roles
Milwaukee Public Schools is moving forward with a plan to reduce staffing as it confronts a projected $46 million budget gap for the 2026–27 school year. The reductions are scheduled to take effect July 1, 2026, the first day of the district’s 2026–27 fiscal year.
The district’s plan centers on eliminating about 263 nonclassroom positions and shifting resources from Central Services to schools. District leadership has said classroom teacher positions are not included in the reductions, though staffing levels in any district can still change with enrollment and program needs.
How many jobs are affected and where the reductions fall
The proposed staffing changes are divided into two broad categories:
About 116 positions in Central Services, spanning multiple offices including Academics, Communications, Family and Community Partnership, Finance, Human Resources, Operations, the Office of Schools, and the superintendent’s office.
About 147 nonclassroom school-based roles, including positions such as assistant principals, deans of students, and implementers.
The district has said roughly 40 of the eliminated positions are already vacant, meaning the total number of layoffs may be lower than the number of positions removed. Employees whose credentials qualify them for classroom-based roles are expected to be encouraged to apply for available openings.
Projected savings and the financial context
District officials have estimated the reductions would save about $30 million, with additional measures planned during the current school year. Those measures include a soft hiring freeze for nonclassroom positions and a contract review process with a stated goal of saving $5 million.
The staffing plan follows the completion of financial audits that the district says confirmed a structural deficit. The district has also pointed to a Human Resources audit that compared MPS central office staffing to large urban district averages.
Program consolidation and student support structure
As part of the staffing strategy, MPS is planning to create a unified department focused on student support and belonging by consolidating several existing areas: Black and Latino Male Achievement, Gender and Identity Inclusion, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), and Restorative Practices.
The district has said some of these areas expanded during the period when federal COVID-19 relief funding was available, and that those funds are no longer in place to support expanded coaching positions. Under the consolidation plan, the district expects the work to continue through districtwide professional development and school-based strategies aligned with existing resources such as counselors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers.
The reductions are scheduled to begin July 1, 2026, as MPS seeks to balance its 2026–27 budget while concentrating staffing reductions outside classrooms.
Workforce costs and next steps
Alongside the reductions, district leaders have outlined continued workforce commitments, including maintaining the current healthcare plan design, adjusting salary steps and lanes tied to longevity and advanced education, and transitioning principals to 12-month contracts.
The Milwaukee Board of School Directors has been taking formal action on the proposed job reductions as part of its budget process, with public meetings drawing testimony from employees and community members. The district has said it is continuing negotiations with labor unions, and that additional strategies could be considered if planned savings do not close the remaining gap.