THE GMC

Higher education is facing mounting headwinds, both in Wisconsin and across the nation. Declining enrollment, ideological concerns, shifts in workforce demands, disinvestment of public resources, and tightening financial models are challenging institutions to rethink their missions, strategies, and long-term viability. In Wisconsin, these pressures are intensified by demographic trends, regional economic shifts, and policy constraints. Nationally, institutions are grappling with similar disruptions, many of which call for urgent and coordinated responses. On June 9, we were joined by academic and industry leaders at UW-Milwaukee for a conversation about the immediate and long-term challenges and what higher education is doing collaboratively to navigate these uncharted waters. Speakers included: - Mark Mone, Chancellor, UW-Milwaukee - Cindy Gnadinger, President, Carroll University - John Swallow, President, Carthage College This discussion is not just timely – it is a necessary step in rising to the occasion to solve challenges in our community and our world.

Celebrate Milwaukee and the dedication that GMC members have to fulfilling our strategic mission. We met at the historic Rockwell Automation building l to hear from one of Milwaukee's favorite historians- John Gurda.  Mr. Gurda presented a live version of his television series the "Making of Milwaukee."  Milwaukee was known as “good land” to Native Americans, a place of abundant natural resources. It became, over the decades, a major Great Lakes port, a stronghold of industry, a capital of ethnic diversity, a model of good government, and one of the most livable large cities in America. “The Making of Milwaukee” is a fast-paced, fully illustrated PowerPoint program that captures the full sweep of the community’s history, from its wilderness past to the complex patterns of the 21st century. We were also be joined by Senator Tammy Baldwin to share an update on her work in Washington DC and locally.  Thank you to Becky House and Rockwell Automation for generously hosting this meeting in one of Milwaukee's historic landmarks.

Reliable public transit is a hallmark of great cities in America and around the world. Despite major ongoing challenges in transit locally and nationally, Milwaukee has seen innovations introduced in the past few years. One example is the FlexRide microtransit program launched in 2022 to connect residents from predominantly low-income neighborhoods to suburban employers previously inaccessible via traditional bus routes . The service has provided over 100,000 rides, facilitating access to an estimated 17,000 additional jobs. Other innovations in transit have also been introduced over the last few years, including the Connect 1 Bus Rapid Transit Line. Even with these innovations, funding challenges at the local, state and federal levels threaten routes and ultimately, the entire system. County Executive David Crowley will help us understand the current situation, what the future may bring, and how we can have an impact on it. On May 12, we heard from County Executive David Crowley and MobiliSE executive director Dave Steele on how we can address these challenges to ensure that Milwaukee is able to continue to offer quality and affordable transportation options for our community and workforce. In addition, we discussed how all of us can be stronger and better advocates during this time of disruption and uncertainty. To finish the meeting, Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius spoke with membership after GMC President Joel Brennan announced the MPS Superintendent Leader Impact Fund.

The GMC was joined by Secretary Jeff Pertl from the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. ​This webinar provided a deep dive into the Governor’s budget proposals for early childhood education (ECE), examining the potential impact on businesses, workforce stability, and economic growth. We discuss what these initiatives mean for employers and their employees, how they could affect the bottom line, and the key question—who will ultimately pay for them in the long run?

The K-12 landscape is always a center of attention, but we have all seen stark reminders of both what ails us and how potential solutions may ensue as the last year has unfolded. Milwaukee Public Schools face unprecedented fiscal and organizational challenges from failing to complete mandatory filings with the state, losing federal and state resources, uncovering lead poisoning in schools and wrestling over school resource officers. At the same time, recent test scores show that Milwaukee has fallen further behind compared to our national peers. The 100,000+ kids who attend schools in the city of Milwaukee are not being served well enough, and we are compelled to seek the clearest and shortest path to progress. After the narrow passage of the April 2024 referendum granting MPS an additional $252 million in local taxpayer support, followed by incidents of financial reporting errors, Governor Evers called for an independent operational review of MPS to shed light on the current situation and potential ways to improve the fiscal and organizational issues. The results of that review were released earlier in February. At the March 10 membership meeting, GMC president Joel Brennan shared key findings from the audit, including suggestions for how MPS can operate more efficiently. We were also joined by Milwaukee journalists who have delved into recent and long-term challenges in our city’s schools and who will provide further insight into the evolving landscape of K-12 education in our community. - Alan Borsuk, Marquette University - Corri Hess, Wisconsin Public Radio

According to recent data, crime in Milwaukee has trended downward in the last few years. However, community perception and national narrative paint a picture of a city that is increasingly dangerous. Many of us have our own personal experience with crime and its impact on families, employers, and neighborhoods. A group of GMC members has spent the last several months delving into Milwaukee’s approach to crime and public safety, learning more about efforts to respond to violent actions and to find ways to stop crimes before they can scar our city. Understanding how we can continue the trend of declining crime rates and increase the notion of safety throughout our community is one of the GMC’s pillars, and every one of us plays a role in the community’s success. Milwaukee’s public safety efforts are carried out both by uniformed officers and by organizations committed to creating change in neighborhoods. Both have seen expanded investment in recent years; however, America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) resources that have spurred street level violence prevention efforts will soon be depleted. If we want to build a safer city, we need to understand the efforts that are already addressing the issue, analyze the success of collaborative efforts, and determine how we can continue to support public safety in Milwaukee. On February 10 we heard from stakeholders about their efforts in advancing a safer Milwaukee, including: Mayor Cavalier Johnson County Executive David Crowley Dan Bader, GMC Public Safety Committee Co-Chair Kent Lovern, Milwaukee District Attorney A larger group of stakeholders will be in attendance to facilitate in-depth table discussion on the public safety landscape and how the GMC can best support the success and progress of those working to make Milwaukee a safer and stronger city.

The GMC commissioned the Wisconsin Policy Forum to develop a report that examines the decline in arrests and reported offenses in Milwaukee. The report compares Milwaukee to peer cities across the nation and also tracks local trends that are contributing to the decline . Report co-author Ari Brown from the Wisconsin Policy Forum and the GMC's Langston Verdin sit down to discuss the report and share key findings. See the full "Arresting Developments" report here: https://wispolicyforum.org/research/arresting-developments-how-and-why-arrests-and-citizen-contacts-are-declining-in-milwaukee/

Wisconsin ranks last in funding for the arts, spending about 18 cents per capita on arts funding, compared to our neighboring states Minnesota ($9.67), Illinois ($5.11), and Michigan ($1.18). On January 13, we discussed how we can collectively organize with the broader arts community and community stakeholders to elevate statewide advocacy efforts resulting in increased public funding for the arts. Rob Henken will share pertinent information from Wisconsin Policy Forum's Curtain Time report as a grounding point for the conversation. Rob was then joined by Secretary Anne Sayers from the WI Department of Tourism and Steve Radke, president of Northwestern Mutual Foundation.

On November 11, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) Interim Superintendent Eduardo Galvan joined the GMC for a conversation about the state of MPS and the district’s progress on its Corrective Action Plan, Facilities Review and other matters. 2025 will be a defining year in K-12 education in Milwaukee and Wisconsin, and GMC members must decide what roles we can play individually and collectively to disrupt the unacceptable status quo related to the outcomes for kids educated in the city of Milwaukee. Nothing is more vital to a stronger future for our community and our region than improvements to the overall educational landscape, and we encourage you to join us for this conversation.