City Forward Collective

10/23/2026

In today's new MKE Edu News Brief:
-In only debate, both governor candidates back accountability
-What's next for the MPS budget?
-Democratic governors warm to school choice tax credit
-Enrollment falls across every sector nationally
https://cfcmke.substack.com/p/your-mke-edu-news-brief-10232026?r=16ug0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

10/23/2026

Every state should make third-grade reading proficiency, built on the science of reading, a “nonnegotiable priority,” write former U.S. Education Secretaries Margaret Spellings and Arne Duncan in Education Week

We need to get education back on track, write the former Ed. Secretaries. Let’s start at the top.

10/22/2026

Governors have “no excuse” to keep their states out of the federal scholarship tax credit, since the program benefits public school students too, the Wall Street Journal Opinion editorial board argues after Treasury released its final rules. https://www.wsj.com/opinion/democrats-school-choice-federal-tax-credit-treasury-rules-39f5b8fb?utm_source=wwr.whiteboardadvisors.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=what-we-re-reading-october-8-2026&_bhlid=c829c57d6abf7dd6b0070cc83d0a09c742a33751

10/22/2026

Wisconsin’s chronic absenteeism rate spiked during the pandemic and has stayed high. On Oct. 30, Wisconsin Policy Forum hosts CFC Senior Advisor Robert Rauh, Elizabeth Cook of Attendance Works and district administrator Michele Butler to lay out solutions. https://wispolicyforum.org/events/forum-friday-wisconsins-stubbornly-high-rate-of-chronic-absenteeism/?fbclid=IwY2xjawU8xuJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mAWJyaWQRMWtxdXFZSXhzRldjSUg2enVzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe_iMjA7bDmfBg-smmwGVAFgj_e9b6GciX4qq2J2VMOMU9tWY3pWHczLO3UaM_aem_Dqyk6gKqVw3gu963OxTN8w

10/22/2026

Chronic Absenteeism PD Recap: Thank you to Learning Heroes for their great session, and to all who attended.

10/22/2026

Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul made New York the 31st state to opt into the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit, Naaz Modan reports for K12DiveNews. Will Gov. Evers or the next Governor take advantage of the free funds?

Thirty-one states and counting have now signaled they'll participate in the controversial Education Freedom Tax Credit plan.

10/22/2026

While some education experts fear the upcoming election’s impact on school accountability, CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan tells Michael Petrilli that CFC feels “guardedly optimistic” about Wisconsin, whoever wins in November, citing movement among Milwaukee Democrats and a healthier conversation about accountability.

Plus, Margaret and Arne want the feds to lead on schools again, and flickers of optimism from Charlie and Colleston about a blue wave.

10/21/2026

85% of Wisconsin adults say every publicly funded school should meet the same accountability standards, and 76% want families to have an easier path to a public school beyond their assigned one, according to a new YouGov poll for CFC. Urban Milwaukee

Statewide survey also finds overwhelming support for school choice and accountability: 76% want greater access to public school options, and 85% want the same standards for all publicly funded schools

10/21/2026

By the district's own count, 36 MPS schools are less than half full, and CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan argues in Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service that MPS must close or consolidate about 30 schools, with a better option waiting for every student who has to move.

I went to a school that could end up on the closure list. But fond memories can't replace a real plan or justify another decade of delay. MPS needs to close about 30.

10/21/2026

MPS has flagged 26 schools for possible closure or merger without weighing academic performance, Alex Klaus reports for Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan says communities that bear the closures “need to also be the ones at the front of the line for the gains.”

Community members say the district could do more to reach families, consider historical context and share more information about the tool it’s using to identify schools that will potentially close.