Looking ahead to November, they’re thinking about what’s next. >> On opening night, WISN 12 follows the money trail in the fight to bring police officers back to Milwaukee Public Schools. >> Resource officers were supposed to be in place by January. The district said it was doing research at out-of-state schools. We’re looking more into those trips. >> We have documents that show how much they spent. >> When state legislators publicly criticized it for violating the law, the district said it was working on a plan but didn’t give details. So we filed an open records request. Today, we have a better understanding of how much it’s costing city taxpayers. Before the state law went into effect and required MPS to put 25 police officers in schools, the district took a research trip around the country to find the records messy. Some are handwritten and not easy to decipher. But what we know for sure is that district officials went on three trips in late 2020, three of which were to look at other programs. Seven staff members traveled to Georgia twice, once to Atlanta schools in Macon, Georgia, and once to Washington, DC, in October. The trips were known to have included former CFO and former Superintendent Anthony Jacobs, Director of Technology, Sanchez, Director of Instructional Leadership, and Director of Facilities. The district sent WISN 12 a partial invoice. The average cost is about $1,100. However, Jacobs and Jackson’s records were incomplete and missing information such as airfare. The return trip to Atlanta was accompanied by Sanchez, Directors Henry Leonard and Steven Johnson, who likely also accompanied the group. Expenses were paid for by MPD. The total cost for the team was over $1,400 per person. >> We gained a lot of insight into how the program should be implemented LEONARD TOLD LEARNED. >> They are older and well established. I was impressed with their work in the building. >> We also reviewed the invoice for the trip Sanchez took with Catrice Cotton in December to Washington DC. $1,700 per person. According to the documents we have, the invoice for the three trips was at least $12,475. They are incomplete because they don’t have a record for the first trip. >> You said the records are incomplete. Can you explain why? >> M PS They sent us the wrong documents for one trip. Another expense report appears to be incomplete and another is blank. Others have handwritten notes and numbers crossed out. We have asked them to explain why former Superintendent Pozzery’s flight expenses are missing and other records. We are still waiting to hear from them. Meanwhile, despite pressure from citizens and the Mayor, we don’t have a timeline for when the police will return.
Records show how much MPS paid for police investigative trips across the country
Expense reports sent to 12 News through a records request appear to be incomplete or handwritten in some cases, but still show how much MPS paid other school districts to send staff to investigate their school resource officers.
Updated: September 25, 2024 6:18pm CDT
After lawmakers publicly criticized Milwaukee Public Schools for violating state law requiring it to have 25 school resource officers in school buildings again, district leaders said they were working on a plan and said they had traveled to Georgia and Washington, D.C. to survey other school districts. So 12 News Investigates filed a records request to get more information about those trips, who participated and how much they cost taxpayers. The documents Milwaukee Public Schools sent out Wednesday are incomplete, missing travel expenses and in some cases handwritten, but they do provide some insight into the overall costs and which Milwaukee Public Schools officials were investigating SRO programs elsewhere. District officials made three trips in late 2023 to review SRO programs. Officials made two trips to the Atlanta area and Macon, Georgia, and one to Washington, D.C. On October 2-4, 2023, seven district officials visited Atlanta, Fulton County and Macon, Georgia. The trip included Darryl Jackson (trustee), Martha Kreitzman (former chief financial officer), Anthony Jacobs (school safety supervisor), Chad Meyer (senior director of technology), Keith Posley (former superintendent), Miguel Sanchez (director of instructional leadership), and Sean Cain (senior director of facilities and maintenance), along with other accompanying members: Steve Lubar (president of the Board of Supervisors, not paid by MPS). The average cost per person for the early October trip was about $1,172.24, but Posley and Jacobs’ records are missing information such as airfare. MPS sent 12News the wrong document for Jackson. Questions about why the information was missing and how to obtain the proper document for Jackson were not answered Wednesday afternoon. District officials will visit Atlanta and Macon, Georgia again from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, 2023. Three district officials accompanied two Milwaukee Police Department leaders on the trip. The group included Henry Leonard (officer), Keith Posley (former superintendent), Miguel Sanchez (director of instructional leadership), Jeffrey Norman (Milwaukee Police Chief), and Steven Johnson (Milwaukee Police Deputy Chief). The total cost of the Milwaukee Police Department team’s visit was about $4,355, or about $1,450 per person. “We got a lot of insight into how to do this program right,” Henry Leonard told 12News’ Kendall Keyes in late August. “They’re historical, they’re established. I was really impressed with what they’ve done with the building,” he later said. The third visit to Washington, D.C., will be Dec. 7-9, 2023, and again Sanchez will accompany them. The trip was also accompanied by School Administrator Catrice Cotton and ASC President Lubar, although Lubar was not paid for the trip by MPS. The cost to the two MPS employees was a total of $3,431, or about $1,700 each. Bills for the three trips totaled at least $12,475, documents show, though records for the first trip are incomplete.Meanwhile, no date has been announced for when officers will return to schools, despite calls from Gov. Tony Evers, Mayor Cavalier Johnson and the public to get the situation under control.
Milwaukee —
After lawmakers publicly criticized Milwaukee Public Schools for violating a state law that requires the district to put 25 school resource officers back in school buildings, district leaders said they are developing a plan and have traveled to Georgia and Washington, D.C., to research other districts.
So 12 News Investigates filed a records request to get more details about those trips, including who took them and how much they cost taxpayers. The documents MPS sent out Wednesday are incomplete, missing travel expenses and in some cases handwritten, but they do provide some information about the overall costs and which MPS employees were investigating SRO programs elsewhere.
District officials conducted three trips to review SRO programs in the second half of 2023. Officials traveled twice to the Atlanta area and Macon, Georgia, and once to Washington, D.C.
On October 2-4, 2023, seven district officials visited Atlanta, Fulton County, and Macon, Georgia.
Darryl Jackson — Director Martha Kreitzman — Former Chief Financial Officer
Anthony Jacobs — School Safety Superintendent
Chad Meyer — Senior Director of Technology
Keith Posley — Former Overseer
Miguel Sanchez — Director of Instructional Leadership
Sean Cain — Senior Director of Facilities and Maintenance
Also on the trip was Steve Lubar, chairman of the Executive and Supervisory Council, who is not paid by MPS.
The average cost per person for the early October trip was about $1,172.24, but Posley and Jacobs’ records are missing information such as airfare. MPS sent 12News the incorrect document for Jackson. Questions about why the information was missing and how to obtain the correct document for Jackson had not been answered by Wednesday afternoon.
Hearst owned
According to Dr. Keith Posley’s expense report, MPS did not pay any travel, lodging, mileage or airfare for the trip from Oct. 2-4.
District officials visited Atlanta and Macon, Georgia again from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, 2023. Three district officials accompanied two Milwaukee Police Department leaders on the trip.
Henry Leonard – Board Member Keith Posley – Former Superintendent Miguel Sanchez – Director of Guidance Leadership Jeffrey Norman – Chief of Milwaukee Police Steven Johnson – Deputy Chief of Milwaukee Police.
The total cost for this trip for the MPS team was about $4,355, or about $1,450 per person.
“This experience has given us a lot of insight into how to do the program right,” Henry Leonard told 12News’ Kendall Keyes in late August.
“They’re old and well established, and I was impressed with what they’ve actually done with the building,” he said later.
The third trip to Washington, D.C., took place from Dec. 7 to Dec. 9, 2023, again with Sanchez. Also on the trip were Superintendent of School Administration Catrice Cotton and ASC President Lubar, although Lubar did not receive travel expenses from MPS. The cost for the two MPS officials was a total of $3,431, or about $1,700 each.
Documents show that records for the first trip were incomplete, but that in total the charges for the three trips were at least $12,475.
Meanwhile, despite calls from Governor Tony Evers, Mayor Cavalier Johnson and the public to bring the situation under control, no date has yet been announced for when police officers will return to schools.
