Annysa Johnson

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Three political newcomers will be on the ballot in Tuesday’s primary as they vie for the 8th District Milwaukee Public Schools board seat.

Derek Beyer, Kathryn Gabor and Megan O’Halloran are looking to succeed board member Carol Voss, who is not seeking re-election. The top two vote-getters will move on to the general election in April, when five of the nine MPS seats will be up for grabs.

Here’s a closer look at the candidates in Tuesday’s race (in alphabetical order):

Derek Beyer

A U.S. Air Force veteran and former teacher at Bay View High School, Beyer is an organizing member of Milwaukee’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter and the Get the Lead Out Coalition working to address Milwaukee’s lead pipe issues.

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Beyer sees the top issues facing the district as “privatization” — the proliferation of voucher and independent charter schools that have bled resources from traditional public schools — school safety and deteriorating facilities.

As a board member, he would support a return to the neighborhood schools model in MPS and a move away from busing students across the city. He would call for a moratorium on independent charter schools not directly overseen by the elected school board.

To address safety issues, he said, MPS needs districtwide policies and procedures on everything from cellphone use to behavioral expectations, and an emphasis on restorative practices and social-emotional supports that help students deal with the traumatic experiences that can hinder academic performance.

To address the district’s nearly $1 billion in deferred maintenance on its buildings, Beyer said he would call on the City of Milwaukee, which owns the properties, to issue debt to upgrade and renovate them.

“If this is going to be a competitive district, parents and students are attracted to better facilites,” he said.

Beyer has been endorsed by the Milwaukee Democratic Socialists chapter. He is not seeking others and is limiting all financial contributions to $100.

Kathryn Gabor

An MPS parent and Montessori teacher on leave since 2016, Gabor helped found MPS' Montessori Advisory Committee and wants to "bring the strategic planning reforms we are working on ... to all students in MPS."

Gabor sees the the top issues confronting the district as declining enrollment; overly large class sizes and inadequate support for the teachers in them; and a lack of district-parent engagement.

To stabilize enrollment, she said, MPS needs to address the inequities in quality programming in its schools — inequities she says prompt parents to go elsewhere when their kids don't get into the schools they want.

As a board member, Gabor said she would push for a cap on class sizes of 25 to 30 depending on the grade, so teachers can build the relationships children need to succeed. To improve parent engagements, she said, the district needs to educate parents on strategies that support their children in school, make better use of their volunteer talents and connect them with resources in the community.

Gabor is "torn" on the issue of vouchers. She supports giving poor families an option to flee unsafe or poorly performing schools. But she has concerns about inequities in the programs, particularly around special education, and thinks they should be limited to low-income families. She supports higher-performing independent charter schools, saying those schools can go elsewhere, taking those students and dollars with them. "And MPS can't afford that," she said.

She does not support a referendum to increase property taxes, saying they are already high.

Gabor has been endorsed by 7th District school board member Paula Phillips and the parent caucus of the Montessori Advisory Committee.

Megan O'Halloran

An account manager with United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County, O'Halloran is active in a number of organizations including Voces de la Frontera, SURJ-MKE (Showing Up for Racial Justice), the Wisconsin Public Education Network and her union, AFSCME Local 1954.

The primary issues confronting the district, she said, are privatization and its financial constraints. As a board member, she said she would push to lower class sizes; ensure all kids have access to gym, library and the arts; improve community engagement; and disrupt the school to prison pipeline.

To improve the district's financial outlook, she said, MPS needs to boost enrollment with enhanced programming and better marketing; lobby lawmakers in Madison for more funding; and prioritize its spending. She said she would take a close look at the $300 million MPS spends on no-bid contracts annually.

She opposes vouchers and independent charter schools that do not answer directly to elected school boards, and she would encourage those charters to become MPS-run charter schools.

To address the school-to-prison pipeline, she said she would support reducing class sizes and shift the district's disciplinary focus away from punitive measures and toward restorative practices.

"We have a budget now for Milwaukee police in schools," she said. "I'd like to see if we can shift some of that money so we can increase access to counselors in our schools."

O'Halloran is endorsed by the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association, the Working Families Party, Voces' Action Committee, the AFSCME People Committee, school board members Larry Miller and Tony Baez and others.