Milwaukee Public Schools will have an estimated 89 more classroom teaching positions next year as part of a plan to manage and reduce class sizes while building a balanced 2026–27 budget, MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, EdD, has announced.

As the district works to prepare a state-mandated balanced budget, it remains focused on protecting classrooms while eliminating a $46 million deficit identified in the district’s 2024–25 budget by external auditors.

Projected school staffing increases include:

These numbers are preliminary estimates and will continue to be reviewed as the district continues to review critical needs requests from schools and seek additional savings.

• 89 licensed classroom teachers next year, from 3,903 to 3,992, with staffing levels adjusted based on enrollment and student needs 
• 63 paraprofessional positions, expanding from 1,319 to 1,382, including new guidelines that place paraprofessionals in early childhood classrooms and supporting schools that requested flexibility around class size standards 
• 5 additional school psychologist positions supported by a newly acquired federal grant
• An increase of two children’s health assistant positions

Additional key student support staffing includes: 

• No change to the total number of art, music, and physical education teachers (443) 
• No change to the number of library (118), nursing (111), and social work (203) positions 
• A decrease of 10 school counselor positions due to enrollment (counselors will also move from 191 to 200 workdays to align with peer roles)

District staffing decisions are based on applying a consistent standard of care to meet student needs, while approving critical requests for additional classroom support.

School leaders also received their budgets for supplies and related expenses this spring.

To address the budget deficit and rising costs, MPS is identifying savings wherever possible. Read a detailed budget presentation on the district’s 2026-27 budget planning page. Savings include: 

• A soft hiring freeze on nonessential positions (classroom positions are essential)
• An estimated $5 million to $10 million in contract savings, found in a comprehensive review by the district’s procurement and senior leadership teams

For next year, MPS has identified a projected $160 million in new revenue and savings, including: 

• $47 million in additional referendum revenue  
• $30 million from reductions in Central Services and non-classroom positions  
• $11 million in increased state special education reimbursement 
• $40 million in short-term savings resulting from fewer charter schools, while noting that lost enrollment will decrease future revenue

At the same time, MPS anticipates a projected $154 million to $171 million in new expenses. Specific items include: 

• Eliminating the $46 million deficit 
• $25 million to $42 million in wage increases, including step and lane increases for employee tenure and advanced degrees. It also includes a cost-of-living increase up to 2.63%, currently in active bargaining with union partners; the offers presented would bring all employees to a 2.63% base wage increase by January 1. 
• $24.6 million for additional classroom positions to manage and reduce class size 
• $20 million in increased employee benefit costs, including healthcare
• In addition, the district is meeting and conferring with union partners to seek to increase paraprofessional hours and address compensation for children’s health assistants ($3.6 million estimated cost).

The district is making its budget decisions amid long-standing external challenges faced by school districts statewide. Those include more than 15 years without inflation-adjusted increases in general state aid and no new general aid in the 2025–27 biennial state budget. Recent voter-approved referenda have offset but not replaced all lost funding. 

The district will present its final budget to the Milwaukee Board of School Directors in May, remaining focused on its board-approved priorities: protecting classrooms, keeping schools safe, investing in student achievement, and restoring fiscal health.