MILWAUKEE — Tuesday marks one week from the spring election. Milwaukee Public Schools is asking voters to approve a $252 million referendum.
Voters who hit the polls Monday and plan to vote in the April election are facing a major decision. Do they want to provide additional tax dollars to the Milwaukee Public Schools?
“I don't think they need to keep wasting the taxpayer's money,” voter, Diana Pryor explained.
Pryor’s grown children attended MPS and she voted no for the latest referendum.
"They got money before, and they didn't do anything with the money they got previously. And most of the kids are still suffering,” Pryor said.
A lot of it comes down to the cost for Pryor. If the referendum passes, taxpayers will pay about $216 per $100,000 home value.
"I'm already paying taxes. I'm 67 years old. Retired, went back to work person because I didn't have enough money to pay my bills,” Pryor explained.
If it doesn't pass, MPS says the district will face $200 million in cuts. There could be layoffs, less access to music and art, and transportation will be impacted.
"If they don't have music, I would say the world is just like bland,” MPS alumna and voter, Dejah Campbell explained.
Campbell voted yes to prevent special programs from ending. As a graduate of the MPS district, she believes art and music are important for students.
"Coming from me, it helped me get through elementary, middle school, even high school going on,” Campbell said. “It's like a form of I would say therapy."
Her boyfriend Jerel Hammond tells TMJ4’s Megan Lee, he thinks the district should present a clear, detailed plan on how it plans to spend the new dollars.
"Just be more transparent, like what they're using the money for, and that way more people would be willing to say yes for that,” Hammond explained.
TMJ4 wanted to know how the district spent the money from the 2020 referendum. They sent us this webpage with various documents to show how they invest the dollars coming into the district.
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