I�m just taking a look at MPS candidate ReDonna Rodgers� campaign finance forms�unfortunately, I don�t have them in digital form�and a couple of things are jumping out at me: While Rodgers is campaigning as the voice of her district, a quick calculation of donations from individuals shows that Rodgers has heavy support from people outside of Milwaukee. Not just people outside of...

The shady Advocates for Student Achievement may claim to be a “good government group” that’s solely focused on running good candidates for the MPS board. But early on, ASA tried to find support among some prominent people who were bouncing around the idea of replacing the elected MPS board with an appointed one. You may recognize some of the folks who were copied o...

The Milwaukee County Circuit Court has issued a subpoena for the bank records of the controversial political group Advocates for Student Achievement (ASA) and its related organizations. Assistant DA Bruce Landgraf filed the request for documents on April 1. The court issued the order on April 2. Associated Bank, where ASA�s accounts are held, has already supplied the...

You know, for years we�ve heard that Milwaukee elections are full of �widespread voter fraud.� Even though the district attorney and the U.S. attorney investigated these allegations and found no systemic fraud, the daily newspaper, along with the right-wing radio talk show hosts, continued to promote the voter fraud myth. Yet multiple investigations have shown that shaky election results are mo...

ASA candidate Annie Woodward may want to proofread her campaign finance forms, because it appears that some information is missing. The latest form, dated March 29 and signed by Feisal J. Salahadyn, shows that she took in $3,140 during this period, $2,540 of which came from individuals. Woodward reports that a $600 in-kind contribution came from the Concerned Realtors Committee on Feb....

Full disclosure: I haven�t read the entire 103-page study on MPS�s finances, which purports to claim that MPS wastes up to $100 million in taxpayer money per year. But I�m working my way through the beastly document, thinking about JS�s typically overheated reaction to anything related to MPS, and discussing it with people who know MPS�s finances far better than I do. Here�s what�s ...

MPS board member Michael Bonds was elected president of the MPS Board of Directors in a 6-3 vote on Tuesday night. Peter Blewett, who previously headed the board, supported Bonds' election and will now serve as vice president. Bonds is a fiscal policy expert who has introduced a flurry of finance-related budget amendments and resolutions during his first two years on the boa...

Michael Bonds was elected the new president of the MPS board of directors in a 6-3 vote Tuesday night. Here's part two of my interview with Bonds. (You can find the first part here.) Shepherd: One of the big issues brought up in the audit is fringe benefits. Do you plan on addressing that soon? Bonds: Yes, we have to. I have been discussing it with state repr...

MPS is providing a family-friendly guide to its swine-flu-related school closures, which now stand at 17. The guide is available in English, Spanish and Hmong. The city health commissioner has just closed Hamilton High, the MPS’s largest high school. Remember: you can reduce your risk of infection by following some common-sense recommendations: wash your hands frequently; cou...

Here's the official word from MPS: All MPS schools will be open Wednesday, May 6 Health Commissioner cancels closure orders All MPS schools will be open on Wednesday, May 6, according to a Milwaukee Health Department decision that reversed orders that would have kept 17 MPS sites locked through the end of this week. ...