MILWAUKEE — On Tuesday, Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction (DPI) released the estimated amount of aid each district will likely receive next school year.
That estimate shows Milwaukee Public Schools will get $587 million in general aid from the state, compared to last year when the district received $636 million.
The nearly $50 million decrease is based on data and financial reports from the previous year.
The district’s proposed 2024-25 budget estimated that MPS would receive approximately $595 million in general aid, resulting in an $8 million adjustment to make for their budget.
Watch: State funding is released for next school year; Here's how much MPS is getting
A spokesperson from DPI tells TMJ4 that after working closely with MPS auditors over the past few months, they are confident in their aid adjustments despite the district still working to complete last year's financial reports.
"I've already been preparing for this both mentally and pragmatically," said MPS Board member Henry Leonard back in July.
At the start of the summer, Leonard told TMJ4 that cuts are inevitable and something their board has been planning for since the revelations of financial misreporting from the district.
"[Cuts] are not going to come from classrooms and schools. It's going to have to come from other areas," Leonard said.
MPS said the amended budget will be brought to the Board of Directors in a special meeting on October 29.
In a virtual meeting on Monday, the district said it won't be until Thanksgiving that all of last year's late financial documents will be submitted to the state.
DPI says they are confident in the district's ability to get that job done.
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