During Budget Deliberations, MPS Pays Consultants to Help Employees Lighten Up

Click in bottom right hand corner to scroll through the April Check Register

MacIver News Service -[Milwaukee, Wisc…] As the Milwaukee Public Schools Board of Directors prepares to vote on a budget proposal that may include layoffs for hundreds of employees, they continue to approve expenditures for motivational speakers to help their employees ‘Lighten Up and Build a Positive Work Climate.

Other expenditures approved at a May MPS committee meeting included disbursements for Kindle training, Restorative Justice Workshops, autographed copies of books by a former NBA player, teacher ‘coaching’ and multicultural training.

The MacIver News Graphic, above, includes only some of the expenditures to vendors from April, 2010, which were approved on May 18, 2010 by the MPS Board’s Committee on Accountability, Finance and Personnel. However, anyone can can examine the MPS checkbook for themselves, at anytime, online.

MPS spending is a web tool developed by Milwaukee Public Schools to allow the public to review and analyze school district spending. The site allows users to examine spending by several criteria, including school or department, funding type (Board or categorical funds) and vendor. The tool tracks expenditures that are processed through accounts payable. It does not track contract amounts or budgets.

The district is currently working through a $33 million budget deficit from last year, and Superintendent William Andrekopoulos has proposed cutting as many as 680 employees to bridge the gap. The Board will vote on amendments to the Superintendent’s plan this Thursday.