7/21/2017 Dear Members of the MPS School Board

7/21/2017

Dear Members of the MPS School Board:

I am writing on behalf of a large group of concerned parents, students and alumni of Milwaukee High School of the Arts. Several weeks ago, many of us learned for the first time that decisions were made regarding cuts to staffing and curriculum at MHSA without informing the public, despite the fact that most MPS schools were notified of budget cuts in February. In fact, teachers were directly instructed by administration not to discuss changes with current or incoming students or parents after the March parent-teacher conferences. These decisions, which we strongly believe will negatively affect students include:

1. There was a loss of full time staff in both visual arts and theatre. In both cases, staff resigned or retired and instead of posting the positions to be filled, it was decided by school administration not to replace them, but instead to leave both programs with bare bones staffing.

2. Due to the decision not to replace staff, students are no longer going to receive 2 hours a day of dedicated arts instruction as they have for almost 4 decades and as it is written on MHSA's website. Families of incoming freshmen were not informed of this decision, which could have led to them choosing other schools.

3. The decision to enforce academic restrictions on students. According to new wording on the school's website, it is now possible to deny access to arts instruction to academically struggling students. This directly contradicts the idea that arts are just as important as academics at MHSA.

The lack of transparency has been a glaring issue as demonstrated by the way that the Student Governance Council (SGC) has been approached by the school administration. The SGC has not had a proper election in quite some time, which has resulted in a lack of representation of the student and parent population during these meetings. There has not been information on how to join or attend these meetings given freely to all families for several years. This needs to change so that all decisions being made by the current administration during the school year are properly explained to everyone. We are asking for the right for parents, students and teachers to be fairly represented in these meetings by an election.

Of further concern, in February, many students, parents and alumni expressed concern about the school administration's decision not to replace the retiring visual arts teacher. Then, in March at the SGC meeting, the MHSA administration was asked if they would prioritize hiring the art teacher back if the school was over enrolled at the 3rd Friday (when enrollment is counted officially for funding purposes and the use of excess funds can be used for the hire of additional teachers). The administration plainly stated that they would prioritize the hiring of

an additional science teacher over an art teacher if the school was over enrolled. Then, current arts staff began to question the administration how the visual arts department would be able to provide 2 hours of art instruction daily with only 2 full time teachers. Visual arts staff met repeatedly with the school administration to express the dire need for a 3rd teacher. Instead of hiring a 3rd teacher, the administration chose to devise a schedule in order to keep class sizes smaller, but that would drop the amount of art instruction for visual arts students in grades 9, 10 and 12 down to 1 hour per day. Again in May, visual arts staff requested that administration inform parents and students of the reduction in hours of art instruction for the 2017-2018 year. Clearly, this did not happen. Also in May, a theatre (performance strand) teacher resigned. That position was posted and filled by another teacher in the district that was seeking a transfer. At the end of the school year, the technical theatre teacher who had been on staff as a building substitute while teaching theatre was told by the school administration that he would not be returning for the 2017-2018 year. However, on June 19th a posting was placed on the MPS portal seeking a .5 Theatre/.5 School Support teacher (a non-instructional staff position). At this time, it is unclear to us how the reduction of staff in the theatre department will affect the students. That is partially due to the fact that departing staff asked for a meeting to discuss the matter with the current administration and that request was declined. As of today, there still has been no communication from the administration to the public regarding the cuts made for the upcoming school year. We all need and deserve a clear explanation of these decisions that have been made for our school without any of our input.

Because these decisions were made without input from parents, students, or alumni, we feel that the rich history of success from MHSA students is in jeopardy. It also calls into question the current administration's dedication to the arts. Nearly 4 decades of alumni, who received 2 hours per day of art instruction, consistently point back to their time at MHSA as a formative part of their journey to success. We don't want that to change for our children. MHSA, as an arts specialty high school, attracts a naturally diverse population of students where all-black, brown and white-perform artistically and academically at advanced levels. Reducing arts courses jeopardizes the equity between the art majors and undermines the very mission of the school itself.

We urge you to give the current and future students the same opportunity for their future success. We also request that this matter is added to the July 27th board meeting agenda, as we will have a constituency attending to testify as it is our understanding that new items may be brought to the board in July. Bring the arts back to the forefront of the curriculum by making sure that all majors are appropriately staffed. The students should receive all of their instrumental arts instruction, as they were led to believe they would have when they were accepted to MHSA. After all, it is a tragic loss for the MPS family to have such devastating cuts made to an award-winning arts program in the face of the upcoming MPS "Year of the Arts".

Sincerely,

Parents: Amy York, Carl York, Ann Jagodzinski, Michelle Stieffermann, Tamiyka Folds, Katherine A. Geiger, Natalie Dockerty, Regina Slagle, Randy Slagle, Michelle Wright, Jeanne Schrank, Rebecca Morales, Diane Walker, Valerie Hippert Lesak, Richard Duck Lesak, Carmen Mendoza, Angela Sorby, Mary Sue Callan-Farley, Dana Callan-Farley, Solmaris Gonzalez (Parent and former teacher 2012-2014), Lisa Schnell, Dorothy McCollum, Lillian Sullivan, Paul Sullivan, Susan DuFour, Martha Treder

Current Students: Robert Eison (2018), Rayden Vaughan Montes (2018), Brenda Smoot (2018), Susan Herrera (2018), Isabela Riveros (2018), Delon Boyd Jr (2018), Priscilla Morales (2018), Michaelangelo Rueda (2018), Lizbeth Garcia, Kai Liebenstien (2018), Maria Feria-Rivera (2019), Seth York (2019), Brianna Sullivan (2019), Alberto Lucchesi (2019), Grace Slapczynski (2019), Claire Schnell-Hanel (2019), Jaime Logue (2019), Kristen Tunney (2019), Olivia Mahtar (2021), K. Hardy-Wright (2021)

Former Staff: Jesse Weinberg (Music 2007-2011), Chris Wszalek(Alumni 1998/ Piano Teacher and Artistic Director 2002-2013), David Valdes (Theatre Chair 1984-1998), Becca Marten (Alumni 1999 and Theatre Teacher 2013-2017), John Rodahl (Teacher 1984-2008 and Cross Country Coach 1991-2013), Brian Beaudet (Teacher 2007-2015), Katrina Halsey (Teacher 2006-2010), Katherine Forsyth Katter (Teacher 1998-2017) Sue Waniger Lamb Chandler (Visual Art Teacher 2012-2017)

Alumni: Marshall Lee (1986), Annamarie (Rewolinski) Zimmerman (1987), Danielle Metz (1988), Stephanie Lewin (1989), Dawn Hemrich (1990), Ola Benson (1990), Wendy Hahm Pierce (1990), Tracy (Meyer) Vetter (1991), Esther Ortiz (1993), Brenda Checky (1993), Katrina Dailey (1993), Andres Guzman (1993), Albert Inama (1994), Jessica Nelson (1995), Tayisha (Boyd) McGuire (1995), Jessica Knurr (1996), Davette Baker (1996), Martina Doherty (1997), Angi Thomas (1998), Nicole Bultman (1999), Christa Yelich-Koth (1999), Heather Bauer (1999), Lillian Cheeseman (1999), Jennifer (Schneider) Castro (2000), Roseanne Clark (2000), Rebecca Reynolds (2000), Katie Grabowski (2000), Maryjane (Bauter) Miceli (2000), Michelle (Tuuri) Andrae (2000), Jessica Jones (2000), Annalies Tilley Grant (2000), Sara Crowley (2001), Jacob Sudbrink (2001), Jessicanne Celeste Contreras (2001), Raine Dargis (2001), Corrie Tritz (2003), Dena Dargis (2003), Sarah Dosmann (2003), Kathleen Hurlebaus (2003), Shannon Hubbard (2003), Kaysey Jones (2003), Terra Dill (2003), Janice

Borowski Anderson (2004), Brittin Haury (2004), Olivia Puerta (2004), Doney (2004), Denise (Ford) Seehower (2005), Miya Rogers (2005), Kourtney Koscielak (2005), Corey Wiliam Roos (2005), Janine Bannier (2005), Destiny Riley (2005), Daniel Urbina-McCarthy (2005), Ben Foldy (2006) Keith Linton (2006), Cristal Lugo (2006), Brittany Freeman-Farr (2006), Michaela Usher (2006), Quinten Farr (2006), Dana Elyse Smith (2006), Megan Shepard (2006) Alisa Teresa Ferrante (2006), Tyler Robinson (2006), Jean Carlo Mercado Fajardo (2006), AdriAnne Slagle (2006), Danielle Martin (2006), Claire VanFossen (2006), Angelena Riedijik (2006), Kurt Egan (2007), Hayley Nielson (2007), Michael Gerrity (2007), Brandon Stinson (2007), Bridget Hirthe (2007), Juliana Horning (2007), Abby (Nowakowski) Lease (2007), Dana Marks (2007), Lauran Bowe Slagle (2007), Ursula Mlynarek (2007), Leigh-Ayne Thomas (2007), Caissa Casarez (2007), Alyssa Santiago (2007), Kalarose Spencer (2007), Sadie Rose Glaspey (2007), Yolanda Doney (2007), Samuele Sima (2007), Ashley Palmer (2007), Lauren Burke (2007), Mary Urbina-McCarthy (2007), Nic Cable (2007), Xiomara Ortiz (2007), Drew Williams (2007), Adam Santiago (2008), Kait Matthias (2008), Brianna Borouchoff (2008), Jamaal Campbell (2008), Lyndsey Hoke (2008), Samuel Markwardt (2008), Mickey Mahar (2008), Sophia Praster (2008), Hanna Martel (2008), Jordan Sadi (2008), Cassandra Cieslale (2008), Deana Velazquez (2008), Kesiah Hepp (2008), Grace Wick (2008), Koren Balcerzak (2008), Clintel Hasan (2008), Joline Collins (2008), Jamill Shaw (2009), Tazren LaCrosse (2009), Richard Givhan (2009), Alexis McKinney (2009), Amanda Anderson (2009), Rickell McCollum (2009), Dominique Vales (2009), Tiffany Streeter (2009), Laura Clark (2009), Victoria Lee (2009), Ashleigh Banks (2009), Jorden Ziebell (2009), Kaitlin Mathias (2009), Jessica Pezall (2009), Tori Radeka (2009), Abigail Wajer-Guibord (2009), Jessica Jackson (2009), Audrey Nowakowski (2009), Lili Kryzanek (2009), Marissa A Choice (2009), Joe Riley (2009), Susan Mutsuers (Dutch Exchange Student 2009), D'Tairies Luckett (2009), Christiana R DeSilva (2009), Sarah Seefeldt (2009), Kristyn Bostic (2009), Lexy Garza (2009), Sydonia Lucchesi (2010), Megan Cook (2010), Toniya Harris (2010), Angus Barsch (2010), Imani Jalil (2010), Jazz Palmer (2010) Becky Cofta (2010), Meaghan Clohessy (2010), Lydia Eiche (2010), Katherine Damecker-Stevens (2010), Chelsea Rose Kaiser (2010), Marian Groshek (2010), Orlando Roman (2010), Aubrey Lederhams (2010), Mona Dockerty (2010), Amanda Jo Gonzalez (2010), Ashley Becht (2010), Nia Cullen (2010), Alanna Lloyd (2010), Brandon Murphy (2010), James Wieland II (2010), Brittany (Mrozinski) Kohler (2010), Brook Tatum (2010), Cheyney Joplin (2010), Deana Shartina Jackson (2011), Shantana Johnson (2010), Ryan Krueger (2011), Allexis Wales (2011), Brittney Hart (2011), Cullen Bogan (2011), Josh Housard (2011), Erica Zacher (2011), Alonzo Pantoja (2011), Sam Gehrke (2011), Brian Crawford (2011), Kyndal Johnson (2011), Crystal Swanigan (2011), Alexandria Vetter (2011), Bettina Latona Lawler (2011), Darris Johnson (2012), Anastasia Stone (2012), Mahdi Gransberry (2012), Katherine Rasch (2012), Elizabeth Warren (2012), Chantal Tribble (2012), Janie Fisher (2012), Jasmine Ortiz (2012), Gabriela Riveros (2012), Angel Glenn (2012), Jalyn Nation (2012), Arianna Fleming (2012), Mike Vanga (2012), Israel Sanchez Lopez (2012),

Akeem Hart (2012), Natalijia Springer (2012), Jasmine Johnson (2012), Candice Vargas (2012), Briana Bearden (2012), Briana Johnson (2012), Maryza Hanson (2012), Melvin Jagodzonski (2012), Carlissa Prospere (2012), Roena Bostic (2013), Taleesa McMillan (2013), Madeleine Farley (2013), Helena Marnauzs (2013), Isabella Brown (2013), Amy Carerros (2013). Araceli Pantoja (2013), Genevieve Dornemann (2013), Marvin Keys (2013), Asante Robinson (2013), Morgan Givens (2013), Shyneice Sanders (2013), Taliyah Robinson (2013), Oliver Gerhke (2013), Jenna Christians (2013), Tyheshea Henson (2013), Rachel Chevremont (2013), Jandell Alberti (2013), Felix Ramsey (2013), Amber Helman (2013), Samantha Montalvo (2013), Hope Teamer (2013), Julia Gareis (2013), Katherine Riveros (2013), Brandon Walton (2013), Taylor Hensel (2014), Gorgeous Wilson (2014), Kylah Gage (2014), Alyssa Hiebert (2014), Bryant Barrientoz (2014), Max Hey (2014), Margaret Ogas (2014), Stephan Owens (2014), Rachel Ziolkowsi (2014), Heather Lucas (2014), Alison Burant (2014), Andreus Oliver (2014), Asya Blade (2014), Tatiana Gant (2014), Louis Weissert (2014), Myles Davis (2014), Ingrid Mueller (2015), Jeremiah Hill (2015), Alex Casarez (2015), Alexanna Quinn (2015), Madyun Wilson (2015), Alegra Holt (2015), Keturah Quinn (2015), Rianna Dockerty (2015), Ariel Oster (2015), Ian Walls (2015), Angelina Cardona (2015), Andrea Delgado (2015), Roman Jagodzinski (2015), Tyree Grant (2015), Corrina Loyd (2015), Olivia Gerhke (2015), Marjhea Glenn (2015), Miciela Massey (2015), Dayzhane Anderson (2015), Shampriel Morrise (2015), Natalya Sanchez (2015), Ahmya Cheatham (2015), Ida Lucchesi (2016), Alvaro Rodriguez (2016), Tynae (Yante) Turner (2016), Victoria Austin (2016), Kelsey Cavin (2016), Sydney Humfeld (2016), Desire Piphus (2016), Andrea Gonzales (2016), Megan Schmidt (2016), Alexandria Dye (2016), Israel Gonzalez (2016), Loischristeen Thomas (2016), Chelsea Coleman (2016), Travis Drow (2016), Erykah Williams (2016), Raphiell Ford (2016), Adriana Harrell (2016), Gabriella Oliver (2016), Soledad Ramirez (2016), Na-Shayla Adams (2016), Heaven Moore (2016), Anyia Griggs (2016), Brianna Lawrence (2017), Sky McCloud (2017), Joseph Mendez (2017), Martiese Robinson (2017), Aidan Treder (2017), Spencer Brown (2017), Shundal Tillman (2017), Markaz O Davis (2017), Kali Hoefert (2017), Shaylynn Nash (2017), Alivia Price (2017)

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