Tipsheet

From Bad to Worse: Milwaukee Public Schools Hire Displaced Chicago Teachers

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  July 28, 2026 10:00 AM

Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) have a wide array of problems. Black students comprise 50 percent of the district's student body, but test at the bottom nationally in reading and math. On top of that, MPS had a $46 million budget deficit for the 2026-2027 school year that they "fixed" by approving a $1.6 billion budget and cutting non-classroom and central office staff.

But that budget also puts more bodies in classrooms, and to fill those spots, MPS is looking south to Chicago, and reportedly hiring Chicago Public School (CPS) teachers with on-the-spot job offers.

Here's more:

Milwaukee Public Schools will host a two day recruitment fair in Chicago this week as the district seeks to hire recently laid off Chicago Public Schools educators.

“Milwaukee is just a short 90 minute drive or train trip away, and we are ecstatic to welcome Chicago educators to Milwaukee as we work to manage and reduce class size and ensure that a highly qualified teacher is in front of every student,” said Dominick Maniscalco, MPS chief human resources officer.

Chicago Public Schools laid off teachers this summer as part of a cost cutting plan tied to declining enrollment and a budget deficit of more than $730 million.

CPS has also faced long running concerns about academic performance, including low literacy proficiency rates, uneven math outcomes, and persistent gaps in student achievement between neighborhood schools and selective enrollment campuses. Although it does score a B on one prominent satisfaction rating.

This is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Alarmingly, no. MPS students, as we mentioned, test at the bottom nationally, and only nine percent of fourth graders perform at or above the NAEP proficiency level, and that number only goes up to 15 percent in eighth grade.

Because MPS is worse.

Dillinger would have done a better job, frankly.

Both MPS and CPS have major problems. On top of poor academic performance, the Chicago Teachers Union is a hotbed of political activism, including funding trips to Venezuela to support the communist regime there. MPS students deserve so much better, and they won't be getting it.