While everyone was paying attention to the midterms, some big news dropped about Wisconsin's largest school district. Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) admitted that the district was the victim of $450,000 in "bank impersonation fraud."
So far, U.S. Bank has helped the district recover $255,000.
Friday news dump? Hold my beer.
— A.J. Bayatpour (@AJBayatpour) November 3, 2026
On election day, @MilwaukeeMPS is sharing it was a "victim of bank impersonation fraud" and lost $450,000.
The district says US Bank has recovered $255,000 so far, and it's working to get back the remaining $195,000: pic.twitter.com/4aNClWrZJE
The message that was sent to the district finance team reads:
Yesterday, we became aware that the district was the victim of bank impersonation fraud perpetrated by an external party. We have notified appropriate state and federal authorities, including the FBI, Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center, and the Milwaukee Police Department. We also notified our Office of Accountability and Efficiency.
Approximately 450,000 was initially lost and $255,000 has been recovered by our partners at US Bank. We are working to recover the remaining $195,000.
In addition to all the investigations above, we are conducting our own internal investigation and implementing both short-term and long-term controls to protect the district.
As we investigate, Jennifer Buros will serve as Chief Financial Officer in an acting capacity. As you know, Ms. Buros has been with the district since the summer as our Deputy Chief Financial Officer and has led our budget work among other key projects. She came to us from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction where she oversaw school finance reporting, district auditing, and accounting requirements, and state aid for schools, directing the collection of school finance data, and ensuring compliance with budgets and policies. She joined DPI in 2023, after working for more than 24 years as a business manager for school districts.
Mrs. Buros will be assisted by Charles Burbridge through our work with the Council of the Great City Schools, which supports the nation's largest urban school districts. Mr. Burbridge has more than 40 years of finance experience. He served as chief financial officer for the Atlanta and DeKalb County school districts in Georgia, as the deputy chief over finance in Chicago and Los Angeles, and led the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund as well.
In the immediate term, we are adding relevant additional controls in partnership with the district's Office of Accountability and Efficiency (OAE).
Please continue to be alert. Read the best practices below from OAE regarding suspicious or fraudulent activities that we should all be mindful of in light of this situation.
This isn't the first time.
Request MPS’ fraud and waste reports and you’ll find them all the time. Here is one with nearly a 1.4M loss. Been saying it, and requesting them for years! pic.twitter.com/pNX7wskwGH
— Debbie Kuether (@debkueth) November 3, 2026
In 2022, this memo said the district lost more than $1.38 million in a vendor-accounting-change scheme.
And it looks like Aycha Sawa, the CFO, is "sidelined," it seems.
Note how this release says MPS has appointed an "acting" chief financial officer?
— A.J. Bayatpour (@AJBayatpour) November 4, 2026
I asked MPS what happened to Aycha Sawa, the CFO hired after the huge 2024 financial crisis. A district spokesman says Sawa is still employed but wouldn't comment further. So, she's sidelined? https://t.co/jraEX6BO2E
MPS students test poorly, and black students test at the bottom nationally in reading and math.
The level of incompetence at @MilwaukeeMPS indicates they only hire @MilwaukeeMPS “grads” https://t.co/2Uk0oKeOUx
— Scott Kelly (@TheScottKelly) November 4, 2026
And the Democrats in Madison will throw more money at the district and end school choice, forcing even more children into a failed system that gets defrauded.
Editor's Note: President Trump is fighting to ensure America's kids get the education they deserve.
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