Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, EdD, announced on Wednesday, December 17, that after 10 months of intense work, the district has completed its lead-paint stabilization efforts in 99 schools that had been identified as needing intervention, and the buildings have been inspected and deemed safe from lead hazards. The completion of the work comes ahead of the district’s self-imposed deadline of December 31.

“This is an important milestone for the MPS community,” said Dr. Cassellius. “We have asked so much of our students, families, and staff over the past 10 months as we addressed this issue with the urgency it required. Since I arrived in March, clearing our school buildings of lead dangers has been a top priority and now — because of the hard work of so many dedicated teams in our district — we can move forward with the peace of mind that our schools are safe.”

Dr. Cassellius made the announcement at a news conference at Trowbridge Street School for Great Lakes Studies, one of the six schools temporarily relocated last school year while work was completed. Dr. Cassellius was joined by MPS Board Director Megan O’Halloran, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee Health Commissioner Michael Totoraitis, PhD.

Trowbridge students and staff were temporarily relocated on March 3, 2025, while the school was cleaned of lead dangers. They returned to Trowbridge on March 14, after the City of Milwaukee determined the school was safe.

“We are grateful for the progress we have made and remain committed to continued supports and monitoring to ensure lasting improvement,” Milwaukee Board of School Directors President Missy Zombor said.

Since March, work has brought affected MPS schools into compliance, meeting or exceeding the requirements of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the City of Milwaukee Health Department. The estimated cost of the work surpasses $43 million.

Mayor Johnson said that when he learned of lead risks in MPS schools, he expected the issue would be addressed with urgency, honesty, and a solution born out of collaboration, “and with an unwavering focus on the health of our kids, our students in Milwaukee Public Schools, because protecting children’s health is not optional.”

The superintendent credited the school district’s partners and MPS employees and contractors who worked multiple shifts to complete the work. Teams addressed approximately 7 million square feet in schools across the district, including 2,700 classrooms plus common areas.

“The City of Milwaukee Health Department is proud to have gone above and beyond to protect the city’s children, and we remain committed to this work as long as it takes,” said Dr. Totoraitis. Both the mayor and the commissioner credited the district and Dr. Cassellius for addressing the issue with urgency.

Lead-paint stabilization work began on the oldest schools serving the youngest students, who are more likely to be affected by lead exposure. The first phase of work concentrated on schools constructed before 1950, when use of lead paint was most prevalent. Work at these schools was completed by the start of the school year in September. The second phase of the work focused on schools constructed between 1950 and 1978, the year the federal government banned lead paint. This group of schools was completed ahead of the December 31 deadline.

MPS now will focus on its cleaning, monitoring, and reporting standards for lead paint. District enhancements include:

• Expanded training for custodial and facilities staff
• 39 new school-based custodial positions
• Four new district operations managers who are in schools daily and report concerns immediately
• Lead-based paint inspections of all district facilities
• Adding Environmental Health & Safety staff who will continually monitor lead safety by conducting regular checks
• Full-facility visual evaluations for lead-based hazards on a three-year rotation

School clearance reports and related documentation are available to the public at mpsmke.com/lead.