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This April, Milwaukee voters may have a chance to concretely address our region’s inequalities and support a referendum on funding our public schools.

Across the country, there is growing recognition that strong public schools are essential to our democracy and economic future. As the citywide school board representative for the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), I made the motion this summer to solicit community input on what our children need and what it would cost.

In subsequent community surveys and meetings, the major themes were clear: Smaller class sizes, full-time librarians, music, art and physical education teachers in the schools, a nurse for every school and access to mental health services.

In many suburban schools, such basic needs are taken for granted, but they cost money. MPS has endured eight years of dramatic underfunding from the state, which follows decades of unequal funding in the metropolitan region. If Milwaukee’s children were valued at the same level as the children in districts such as Shorewood, Brown Deer or Glendale-River Hills, MPS would have more than $100 million more in funding per year.

Unfortunately, the state Legislature has been deaf to demands for reforming Wisconsin’s school funding system and ensuring equitable funding.

Why a Referendum?

MPS has limited ways to fund Milwaukee’s public schools. In the short term, there is only one way forward: a local referendum in which city voters agree to provide additional funds. This can hopefully buy the time necessary to change the political dynamics in this country and improve state and federal funding.

No decision has been made about the money to be requested in any referendum. I am confident that any decision will be sensitive to both the needs of our children and the financial realities facing the Milwaukee community.

Let me repeat: No decision has been made. Some figures recently cited seem designed more to scare people rather than to figure out how to move forward.

MPS has gotten very good at doing more with less. The district, for instance, has the largest public Montessori program in the nation. We have one of the country’s largest pre-engineering programs, and our district’s robotics team has gone to the world championships. Our bilingual and language immersion programs serve thousands of children.

The district will bring that experience of frugality to any referendum.

Community Involvement

To help in its deliberations, MPS developed a community-wide task force. The task force’s more than 30 members include representatives from the United Way, Rockwell Automation, Aurora Health Care, Milwaukee Area Technical College and labor and community groups such as the NAACP.

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The task force is co-chaired by Milwaukee Bucks president Peter Feigin and Kimberly Walker, chief operating officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee.

MPS is also guided by the experience of nearby school districts. In the last two decades, almost all the districts in southeastern Wisconsin have gone to referendum to raise money for their schools. More than 180 ballot measures passed, raising $2.8 billion.

I personally am committed to a referendum that our community can afford and that will have the maximum impact on our schools. The goal is that, together, the district and the Milwaukee community will make a down payment on our children’s future.

Milwaukee is the largest and most important city in Wisconsin. When we say “yes” to our public schools, we say “yes” to Milwaukee’s future.

Bob Peterson is the citywide representative on the Milwaukee School Board.