MPS Receives Final $8 million Withheld By State As It Submits 2024-25 Audit

Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) Superintendent Brenda Cassellius and Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly have announced a major milestone in MPS’s work to correct financial and operational issues impacting the district.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has released to MPS $8 million in previously withheld state funding, the last installment of withheld funds from 2025. MPS also submitted its external financial audit for the 2024-25 fiscal year, marking the third audit completed in just under 13 months.

“Since arriving in Milwaukee in March, my focus has been on improving the operation of our district so that we can meet the needs and expectations of our students, families, and staff while we also rebuild the trust and transparency they deserve,” Dr. Cassellius said. “I’m proud of the team here at MPS who committed to fixing these significant issues with a sense of determination and Milwaukee pride while facing intense public pressure and scrutiny. They rose to the occasion and showed that we all can expect great things in MPS.”

In December, Superintendent Cassellius was joined by MPS Board leadership, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and city health officials to announce the district had completed the work to stabilize lead paint in nearly 100 schools, marking the end of another serious issue the district faced in 2025. Addressing these operational issues is critical to moving the district forward.

“Under Superintendent Cassellius’s leadership, MPS has made meaningful progress and is putting systems in place to meet its financial reporting obligations going forward,” DPI’s Dr. Underly said. “Accurate and timely reporting is essential to ensuring public confidence that school districts across Wisconsin are responsibly managing public resources. We will continue to work in partnership with MPS to strengthen these efforts. I am grateful for the collaborative work of the DPI team and MPS staff to address these challenges and improve processes for the future.”

“The school board is committing to strengthening trust with our community, and this is a critical step in the process,” Milwaukee Board of School Directors President Missy Zombor added. “We are grateful for the superintendent’s leadership and the work of our partners as we continue to support ongoing technology improvements that will promote long-term fiscal health and responsible stewardship of resources.”

To that end, Dr. Cassellius also announced continued work to improve processes. MPS has begun implementing new systems that will allow district financial platforms to communicate directly with the state’s system. This was the root of the past reporting delays, requiring intense manual work. Other completed operational improvements based on a state operational audit of the district include rebuilding and hiring key personnel on the Finance team, establishing new standard operating protocols, rebuilding the control environment, and partnering with Human Resources on position control. These positive changes put the district on pace to rectify past accounting errors and ensure timeliness and accuracy of district books.